Join Us
by MadnessJones
Summary: G1 AU: Bumblebee is captured by the Insecticons and they try to warp his body and mind to make him one of them. No pairings.
1. Surveillance

_Author's Notes: This is an idea I've had for a while and has just been bugging me to write it (pun partially intended). There isn't a lot of fanfiction on this site about the G1 Insecticons, and they are truly creepy characters that also get along well with each other (unlike other Decepticons). I decided that they would be perfect for a psychological horror story. That being said, I don't know why I keep including Bumblebee in my fanfics. This is like the fourth one! He's not my favorite character or anything, but I do admit he's a nice mech and easy to write about. Anyway, enough of my rambling. On with the story! :)_

* * *

Chapter 1

Surveillance

It was the calm after the storm. Literally. The Autobots were cleaning up the debris in a town in Jamaica after a hurricane had devastated it. Megatron had used a new machine built by the Constructicons to churn up a hurricane and harness the raw energy emanating from within. The Autobots managed to shut down the machine before the hurricane could get any bigger and tear up anymore homes or cities. Nonetheless, the damage to the town was done.

With homes and businesses in ruins, a few of the Autobots stayed behind to help rebuild. Bumblebee and Bluestreak were assigned to clean up the trash in the streets. They spent their time working and happily chatting away. Bumblebee had been the hero of the hour when he was the one that got the weather machine away from Starscream, but rather than bask in the attention he much preferred to stay on the sidelines and talk with Bluestreak.

"So Bumblebee, did you see that shot I got on Skywarp's wing?" Bluestreak asked as he wiped away mud and sand with an Autobot-sized mop.

"I sure did," Bumblebee smiled back at his friend, "I have to admit I was a little upset at Cliffjumper though. When Blitzwing took Beachcomber hostage, I don't think Cliffjumper should've fired anyway."

"Well, it was unorthodox, but Beachcomber wasn't hurt, and it did get Blitzwing away from the city," Bluestreak reasoned, "I don't think Cliffjumper means to be mean to anyone. He's just trying to do his job just like the rest of us. Kind of like how Prowl is always so serious because his job involves task management, or how Mirage is so distant because he's a spy. Or how you tackled Starscream and got the machine out of his grasp! That was amazing! I don't know why Wheeljack blows stuff up though. I'm pretty sure that isn't supposed to be part of his job. It was pretty funny that one time though whenever he managed to explode those trick candles that are never supposed to stop burning. I don't even know _how_ he did that. Ratchet was so mad! I would hate it if Ratchet ever got mad at me like that. He's scary sometimes. I don't know how Sideswipe and Sunstreaker put up with him being mad at them all the time. Um, what was I talking about again?"

"I don't remember," Bumblebee replied honestly, "Why don't we change the subject to something else?"

"Oh, alright," Bluestreak shrugged, "I heard you chaperoned Spike and Carly's date the other night."

"I wasn't their chaperone, I was their ride," Bumblebee laughed, "It was nice to get a front row seat to how human courtship works. It was especially fascinating the way Spike kept forgetting how to talk when Carly got too close to him. I don't know what biological purpose that serves, but it was pretty funny."

Bluestreak and Bumblebee shared a good-natured laugh as they went back to work. They talked and worked and kept their spirits up for most of the day. What they didn't realize, however, was that they weren't alone. Up in the window of the tallest building in town they were being watched.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Demon Swamp in Bali, Bombshell sighed as he twirled one of his cerebro shells in between his fingers. He had grown bored of the device. Cerebro shells gave him temporary slaves, but it wasn't a permanent solution to a problem that had been plaguing the Decepticons for some time.

Megatron had been exploiting the Insecticons for some time now. Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback worked their antennae off for the Decepticons, but they received little to nothing in return. When they tried to demand more they would find themselves outnumbered by Megatron's forces. They would try to use the clones against the Decepticons, but the clones were stupid and could only follow preprogrammed commands, and therefore were easily destroyed.

In short, the Insecticons were only three, and therefore had no bargaining power.

Shrapnel came in from grazing outside the swamp looking a little worse for wear. He had been eating trees again, and the swamp was starting to look a little bare. The Insecticons could eat almost anything to survive, but the energy was so minuscule that they spent their _whole lives_ eating. They wanted real energon, but Megatron refused to give them their fair share!

"Where's Kickback?" Bombshell asked Shrapnel.

"Who _cares_ cares?" Shrapnel snapped, but then regretted it, "I'm sorry Bombshell Bombshell. I'm just so hungry hungry. I ate three mango trees, but it wasn't enough enough."

"I understand," Bombshell commiserated, "Have you managed to make any clones? If we could attack Megatron's temporary fortress, then we might have a chance at some real energy."

"No such luck luck," Shrapnel spat, "Whatever I find I eat eat. I don't have enough left over to make clones clones."

Bombshell grunted and went back to toying with his cerebro shell. There had to be a way to make themselves more powerful. The Insecticons were getting desperate, and they seemed to have enemies on all sides. If it wasn't Megatron cheating them out of energon, then it was the Autobots stopping them from eating! The cycle seemed to never end.

A few minutes later they heard a loud buzzing in the sky that told them Kickback was home. Bombshell struggled to get out of his chair inside their buried ship. Their ship was the only technological thing in the entire forest besides themselves, but the trees had grown around it, so nothing looked out of place.

Kickback strolled in looking like he just won a lottery where the prize was a lifetime supply of snack foods. Shrapnel looked at Bombshell and asked over the comm if he knew why Kickback was so happy. Bombshell just shrugged and waited to see if their teammate clued them in on what was going on. Kickback did not disappoint.

"Guys, I've got the solution to our problem!" Kickback proclaimed, "I know how to get more Insecticons to fight Megatron with us!"

"You made more clones clones?" Shrapnel asked hopefully.

"Oh, _please_! The clones are useless!" Kickback scoffed, "They're practically drones. No, the best way to make our forces bigger to is make more Insecticons!"

"That's what the clones are for," Bombshell replied wryly.

"No, not clones! _Real_ Insecticons!" Kickback elaborated, "The ingredients already exist. We just need to take a Cybertronian and upgrade them to be an Insecticon like us! If we make our forces big enough, we could start our own faction to challenge the Autobots and Decepticons and rule the universe! Huh? What do you think, guys?"

"I see…" Was all Bombshell said.

Shrapnel, however, had a bit more to say…

"There's just one little problem with your plan plan," Shrapnel said calmly, but then hollered when he said "Nobody wants to join us us! We're scum to everyone else else!"

Kickback slumped down in defeat. Shrapnel was right. The Insecticons weren't even considered real Cybertronians by other of their species. They were disposable. They were worthless. Nobody cared what happened to the Insecticons, and nobody would want to be like them.

Bombshell, however, looked thoughtful. Kickback had a point when he said mechs could be upgraded into becoming Insecticons. Bombshell himself was the one who came up with their upgrade in the first place. Performing the surgery on a new mech should be no problem. No, the real problem was the same problem he had with the cerebro shells. It was one thing to control a mech's body. What the Insecticons needed was to control a mech's very soul. They needed willingness, and Bombshell welcomed the new challenge to get it.

"Kickback...About your idea," Bombshell waited until he had the other mech's attention and then asked, "Did you have a candidate in mind?"

Kickback brightened up once he realized Bombshell took his idea seriously. He pulled a small chip out of subspace that had the data he collected in Jamaica. He showed the footage of Bumblebee and Bluestreak, and then paused it on a close-up of Bumblebee.

"His name's Bumblebee," Kickback said with a smirk, "Doesn't that just scream Insecticon material?"

"Yes. Yes it does…" Bombshell replied with a wicked smile behind his face mask.

Bombshell's red optic band glowed as he looked at the surveillance footage. They would have their army soon enough, and Bumblebee would be their first _recruit_.


	2. Hunted

_Author's Notes: Well, this chapter is short, but I'm happy with how it turned out anyway. Now we can actually get into the story proper! The first chapter was more of a prologue than anything else. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and please leave a review :)_

* * *

Chapter 2

Hunted

It was a quiet fall evening at Mount St. Hilary. The Ark stood as a lone sentry in a landscape dominated by plants and wildlife. Hound and Bumblebee had spent the evening on guard duty, but now it was time to go inside and let the night shift take over. Bumblebee and Hound passed by Mirage and Prowl as the new guards made their way to the front door and the relieved crew made their way to their rooms.

"You want to see that photo I took of the falcon that flew by?" Hound asked.

"Sure, it was pretty neat when it flew near your helm," Bumblebee smiled as he remembered the falcon landing on top of the Ark.

Hound showed him the in-motion shot of the falcon flying away. It wasn't a perfect shot. The wings in the photo were a little blurry. Bumblebee complimented Hound on the picture nonetheless. He liked the photo despite its flaws.

They both shared a deep love for their surrogate planet, and they both spent hours talking about earth's natural life or human culture. Jazz was another one that understood their love of the planet, but Hound took it to extreme degrees sometimes. Bumblebee still remembered Hound confessing to him that sometimes he wished he could be human. Bumblebee understood that. Being a Cybertronian meant war and death. Being a human meant trees, families, and video games. Yeah...Bumblebee understood the appeal.

"Hey, Bumblebee, you want to go to the rec room with me?" Hound asked, "Tracks and Smokescreen are setting up a projector in the upper levels and are going to show a film called _Monsters, Inc._ You in?"

"Nah, I'm pretty low on charge," Bumblebee declined, "I'd better turn in. See you tomorrow."

"See you, Bee," Hound waved goodbye as he walked toward the elevator.

Bumblebee made it to his room a few minutes later. His part of the Ark already had the lights turned off for simulated night time. Bumblebee found it interesting how they all just adopted the earth's night/day cycle no questions asked. He got into his berth and sighed contentedly as his systems began to shut down. It really had been a long day, and he was exhausted. He smiled and went into recharge thinking about what a wonderful day tomorrow could be…

* * *

Bumblebee's audio sensors woke him up out of a good recharge cycle. He stirred, and then noticed that there were a few clanking and skittering sounds coming from out in the halls. He huffed tiredly, lamenting that he was such a light recharger. He looked at his internal chronometer. Oh-two-hundred. It was still the middle of the night!

Bumblebee groaned and lied back down hoping to get back into a recharge cycle before his systems came fully online. There was a buzzing sound. Then the sound of fast footsteps. That didn't sound normal. The footsteps sounded too small...too quick for an Autobot.

Bumblebee sat up and listened more carefully. Was it a human friend come to visit? It seemed too late at night for them. Besides, the pattern seemed too rapid for human feet. Bumblebee knew he wouldn't get any recharge until he knew what was going on out there, so he groggily got out of his berth and went out into the hall.

It was so _dark_. Darker than usual. Even in simulated night there was usually residual lights in the corners, but tonight nothing. Bumblebee turned on his optic lights, and calming blue light streamed from his helm and out into the hallway.

There didn't seem to be anything out of place. Everything was so quiet now. He was sure the noise was nothing to worry about, but he was still curious as to what it was. Maybe another one of Wheeljack's inventions got away and was wandering the halls. If so, then Bumblebee needed to catch it so it didn't get damaged.

He walked along the halls in silence with nothing but his little optic lights to guide him. Then he heard a sudden noise! It sounded like it came from above him, but when he looked up there was nothing there. Now Bumblebee thought he was starting to look paranoid. He didn't need people comparing him to Red Alert, so he turned around to go back to his own quarters to get some recharge, but then he saw something on the lower part of the wall. Needing a better look, he turned on the headlights on his pedes and walked over to the wall. There were wires hanging out, and bite marks on the open panel door…

Bumblebee's optics widened in realization. Something was here that ate metal! He tried to keep himself calm, thinking that maybe it was just one of the Dinobots getting curious about the world around them again. Then again, Dinobot teeth marks were much bigger than those…

Bumblebee shivered and walked slowly along the halls, hoping to be quiet enough to avoid detection until he could make it to Optimus Prime's quarters and alert him that there was an intruder (or Wheeljack invention) eating the walls.

He walked on for a few minutes, and then finally made it to Prime's quarters. He rang the door chime and waited, but there was no answer. He tried again, and stood there patiently, but there was no answer.

He suddenly felt something liquid drip on his left shoulder from the ceiling, and he touched it to discover that it burned! _Acid_! He had touched acid and it was on his shoulder!

"AHH!" Bumblebee cried out in pain, and stumbled back a few steps in panic.

He looked up again at the ceiling, and this time he could clearly see Kickback in his grasshopper alt mode staring down at him with bulging unblinking optics!

Without saying anything, Bumblebee quickly took his rifle out of subspace to try to blast the Insecticon before he could cause anymore damage, but the bug threw a balloon that surprisingly contained more of the acid! It melted Bumblebee's gun, and with no way to defend himself the Autobot took off down the hall in a mad sprint!

He could hear the buzzing behind him as the Insecticon gave chase! Bumblebee had to get to the upper level and warn the other Autobots! He couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of him with his optic lights, so he once again turned on his headlights and saw that he was only a couple seconds away from running into Bombshell! He skidded to a stop, and Kickback used the opportunity to grab Bumblebee's arms and hold him tight!

"Let me go, you overgrown cockroach!" Bumblebee grunted as he tried to struggle free from Kickback's grasp.

"Shh…" Bombshell hissed in a mock-attempt to soothe the Autobot, "Don't worry, little morsel. We're not going to hurt you... _yet_."

Bombshell then stuck a cerebro shell on Bumblebee's forehead, forcing the Autobot to stop moving. Bumblebee was aware of everything that happened around him, but powerless to interact with anything. The cerebro shell was better than any shackle, as it caused Bumblebee to stop moving completely, and forced his body to obey the will of the Insecticons. His mind was still free, but that didn't matter anymore.

/Shrapnel, this is Bombshell,/ Bombshell said over the comm, /Mission accomplished. We have the package and are ready to retreat./

/Good good,/ Shrapnel said sinisterly over the comm, /You two meet me outside with our little recruit recruit. We need to get him back to the swamp before his team realizes what we've done to their security system system./

/ _Of course_ ,/ Bombshell purred; pleased that their plan had gone so smoothly thus far.

"Kickback," Bombshell then addressed the grasshopper out loud, "You carry the cargo. Make sure not to damage him until I get a complete body scan of him and take pictures of his internals for my files."

"Sure thing, Bombshell!" Kickback replied in a chipper tone as he grabbed Bumblebee's stiff but still conscious body.

Bumblebee wanted to fight his way out so badly! He wanted to get free of the awful bug, or at least be able to move or release his intakes. At least now he knew why the Insecticons never invented a version of the cerebro shell for humans. They would probably be unable to breathe without a command. Well, that and the obvious humans-don't-have-processors-to-hack reason.

They took off into the air a few minutes later, and Bumblebee dreaded what they might make him do. If he couldn't get the offending piece of tech away from his processor, then he might never have free will again!


	3. Tear Him Apart

_Author's Notes: I know I took a while updating this. I haven't had a lot of time for my newer stories lately, but hopefully I'll be able to work on all of them soon enough. I like this story idea and want to keep at it! That being said, it's probably one of my more psychologically disturbing ideas. You have been warned..._

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Chapter 3

Tear Him Apart

The swamp smelled like plant decay and felt like the air was practically solid due to the humidity. Bumblebee was carried into the Insecticons' ship, their _hive_ , and placed in a standing position in the middle of the floor. He had not been this terrified in vorns, and yet he couldn't even scream because of the chip. He was helpless and at the mercy of the Insecticons.

"Kickback, hold his arms arms," Shrapnel ordered, "Bombshell, remove the cerebro shell! It is time we had a few words with our _guest_ guest."

This was it! Bumblebee was going to be free of the shell! This was his chance to make one final stand against these disgusting creatures, and possibly even escape from their clutches. Even if he failed, at least he knew he would have tried something to save himself.

Bombshell removed the shell, and Bumblebee immediately started thrashing about in an effort to release himself from Kickback's grip! He could feel Kickback's arms getting tired, and he could practically taste freedom on the other side of that door! He pulled as hard as he could, and then he was free!

Bumblebee ran for it, but only managed a couple steps before he was shocked into submission by Shrapnel's lightning! Shrapnel _tsked_ at Bumblebee and shook his head in disappointment before he had Bombshell place the shell back on the poor Autobot's head.

"So sad sad," Shrapnel said in a mock-concerned tone, "If only you had cooperated with us, then you might be allowed a certain level of dignity dignity. Bombshell, have you scanned him yet yet?"

"I'm scanning him now, Shrapnel," Bombshell told him, "Once I have his frame's specs down and his weapons capabilities on file we can begin _deconstruction_."

Deconstruction? Bumblebee did not like the sound of that! The three Insecticons surrounded him like a group of muggers, and stared at him hungrily. Wait, did that mean…?

"Scan complete," Bombshell announced cheerfully, "You may begin deconstruction, Shrapnel. Just save me his hood. It looks delicious."

Yes, that is exactly what it meant.

Shrapnel took Bumblebee's right servo in his hand and stared at his digits before he selected one. He began to chew it away from the hand, and Bumblebee wished he could at least cry out in pain as his finger was eaten down to the nub, but he couldn't even move a circuit. He was forced to endure the pain and helplessness as Shrapnel ate his digits one by one until he had none on either hand.

Bombshell started ripping at his hood, exposing his wires, and ate the large piece he ripped away. Kickback grabbed an old trash bag and covered the exposed circuitry so that Bumblebee wouldn't get dust or dirt clogged in his internals. Bumblebee didn't know what they wanted with him, but whatever it was they must've wanted him alive.

Kickback was about to take his share of Bumblebee when Shrapnel snapped at him by saying "Hold it hold it! Dermal plating only. We don't want him to leak out his energon energon. After all, we can't exactly replace it replace it."

Kickback nodded curtly and chipped off one of Bumblebee's horns. He chewed the little horn like a wad of gum and stared casually at the stiff Autobot. Bumblebee had never wanted to deck anybody like he did these Insecticons! They were monsters, and they were forcing him to watch as they ate him alive!

When they were finished, Shrapnel ordered Bombshell to place Bumblebee in their old brig. Once in the brig the cerebro shell deactivated, and finally Bumblebee could moan in agony. He lay there in a heap and wondered why they had captured _him_ of all Autobots. Obviously they had a reason, or they would've just killed him...So what did they want?

* * *

Hours ticked by in that so-called cell. Most of the room had been reclaimed by nature after rotting for eons. The Insecticons had cleared away some of the natural debris, but they had done a lazy job and much of the overgrowth remained. They even used physical bars since there was no energy running through the old husk of a ship to make energy bars with.

Bumblebee had tried to clear away some of the vines and moss himself, but he couldn't grab anything without fingers, so he settled for pushing some of it aside with his pede. He sighed miserably for what had to be the hundredth time. When were they coming back, and did he even _want_ them to come back?

He also wondered if the Autobots would rescue him. Did they know he was gone? Did they know who took him or where to look? He didn't want to die this way. There was nothing meaningful or heroic about being slowly eaten by Cybertronian parasites. He would've rather faced Megatron's fusion cannon than be forced to stay here with these overgrown roaches!

In that moment he saw the door open, and Bombshell walked in. It was hard to read his full expression because of his battle mask, but his optics shone with a look of smug satisfaction.

"Enjoying your stay, little morsel?" Bombshell asked in a deceptively sweet tone, "I hope you're recovering well, little one. You must be hungry by now…"

Bumblebee glared defiantly at Bombshell, but inside he knew he wouldn't last long without energon. His reserves were down to 37% and dropping fast. He could survive a few days without refueling, but that might not be enough time for the Autobots to find him. Bombshell waited, but Bumblebee said nothing.

"I examined your scans, Bumblebee," Bombshell said, and Bumblebee wanted to purge his tanks after hearing his name come from that bug's vocalizer, "You don't have a sigma ability, and most of your parts are fairly standard. Honestly, I don't know why the Autobots kept a piece of scrap like you around. Oh, well. I suppose you were just convenient. They've probably already forgotten you by now. Oh now, don't give me that look. We don't think you're worthless. I'm just saying the Autobots probably did. You understand, right Bumblebee?"

"What do you _want_ , Bombshell?" Bumblebee asked harshly, wishing with all his might that he had a means to strangle that bug.

"I'm here to offer you a chance to save yourself," Bombshell replied sinisterly, "As you probably know, our demand for energy is quite high, and your frame contains energon. Economically it would make more sense for us to just eat you, but we're the type to see potential in what others consider trash. We're willing to let you live and even have a measure of freedom, but first you must submit to a little...operation."

"No way!" Bumblebee shouted aggressively.

"You haven't even heard what we want to do," Bombshell pointed out.

"I don't care!" Bumblebee snapped, "I hate you Insecticons and everything you stand for! I will never let you touch me! Never!"

"Very well then," Bombshell conceded, "When your energon levels are down to the dregs, you might reconsider. After all, this surgery might be the only way for you to survive living in the swamp with us. I only offer it as a kindness to you, but if you refuse...well, I'm not going to force you to survive if you really want to die. That would be cruel."

"Yeah...You of all mechs would know about cruel," Bumblebee muttered softly.

Bombshell left, and Bumblebee was left alone with his pain and his thoughts. Why were they doing this? What did they expect to achieve by keeping him here? They didn't know anything about Autobots. Autobots weren't like Decepticons. They would rescue their comrades because it was the right thing to do, not because of any reward or perceived usefulness on the part of the rescued individual.

Bumblebee fell asleep thinking about his friends. Those thoughts would keep him sane during this experience. He really wanted fuel, and he really wanted a berth to sleep on, but he wouldn't beg these merciless bugs for pity. He would rather starve than give them the satisfaction of knowing they broke him.

* * *

Optimus Prime couldn't believe what had happened. The Autobots had spent a quiet evening watching a double feature on the big projection screen in the upper level. It had been peaceful...There had been no warning signs. How could someone just come into the Ark and capture one of his soldiers?

Red Alert had fritzed when he saw the frayed wires from his security monitors. The intruder, whoever it was, had disabled the security systems and destroyed most of the offline defensive weapons! Even Teletran 1 had been damaged!

If this was the Decepticons, then no one knew why they chose Bumblebee. Ratchet offered the theory that maybe it was revenge for Bumblebee taking their weather machine away during that last battle. It wasn't much, but it was the only lead they had.

Optimus sent Mirage out to spy on the Nemesis. He was the only one that could do this since Mirage could turn invisible. He only hoped that if Bumblebee was there that he wasn't too badly damaged. All everyone else could do was wait and hope.

Spike sat in Bumblebee's room looking as dejected as Hound had ever seen him. He sat with the human boy in his time of need, and they tried to console each other.

"I don't understand why someone would do this to him," Spike lamented, "Megatron has broken into the Ark before, but he's never been this brazen about it."

"It might not have been Megatron," Hound posited, "Starscream was the one who had his pride hurt by Bumblebee's stunt. While not a stupid Decepticon, Starscream does have the tendency to let his emotions get the better of him."

"Will he hurt Bumblebee?" Spike asked innocently.

" _Hurt_ isn't quite the word for it, Spike," Hound said bluntly, "On Cybertron many of our troops were tortured and killed by the Decepticons. They usually don't take prisoners unless they have a specific purpose for them or else need information from them."

"Wow...That's awful," Spike breathed.

"Yeah...It is," Hound sighed wearily, "Say, you wanna go out for something to eat or something? I could stand to get out of the base, and you're probably hungry by now."

"Sure. Thanks Hound," Spike replied gratefully.

The pair walked out into the hall, and had made it a few meters when Hound looked down and noticed something near the floorboard…

"Hey Spike, look at this!" Hound exclaimed as he knelt down to examine the door to a circuit breaker.

"The door's destroyed," Spike commented.

"Not just destroyed, Spike. These are bite marks!" Hound deduced, "Only one creature on this planet I know of can chew through metal like this…"

Then, in unison, they both shouted "The Insecticons!"


	4. Rebuild Him

_Author's Notes: I'm pretty happy with how this chapter came out. It seems like I always do really well with chapter 4 no matter what I'm writing. Weird. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed! I hope you like this installment of Join Us :)_

* * *

Chapter 4

Rebuild Him

"You _dare_ to defy us us?" Shrapnel screamed as he smacked Bumblebee across the face plate.

Bumblebee fell back against the wall and felt his entire frame rattle as he impacted. He blearily looked up to see the furious beetle stomping toward him again.

 _Please...Just go away...I can't take much more of this…_ Bumblebee thought bleakly as he waited for the next series of blows.

Shrapnel and Bombshell had visited him several times over the course of the four days he had been forced to stay in their filthy brig. Almost every time resulted in him either being beaten or humiliated in some way. His energon levels were critical by now due to them not feeding him. A mere 8% of his energon remained, and the poor scout was sure he would go into stasis lock for good soon enough. At this point he knew they didn't care if he died. No one cared…

"You miserable worm worm!" Shrapnel shrieked and grabbed Bumblebee by the shoulders, "You look at me when I'm speaking to you you!"

"Huh…?" Bumblebee grunted as he tried to make sense of what Shrapnel had been saying in his recharge-deprived processor.

"AAHHH!" Shrapnel let out an enraged screech and threw Bumblebee into the wall as if he were as light as a rag doll.

Bumblebee was sure something inside him broke that time. Judging from the pain, it was probably one of the struts in his chassis on the right side.

"We give you shelter, offer to save you from a life of mediocrity, and even consider giving you protection from Megatron Megatron...yet _this_ is how you repay us us? With laziness and defiance defiance!?"

Shrapnel then lunged at the ailing Autobot and ripped away another piece of his arm plating! Bumblebee was practically all wires by now. Most of his frame had already been eaten by those monstrous Insecticons. He didn't understand why they didn't just let him leave...or die.

"I would _love_ to stay and discuss your behavior further further," Shrapnel said crossly, "However, My brethren and I have actual _work_ to do do! Maybe while we're handling Megatron's busy work you'll finally come to your senses and repent repent!"

Shrapnel then pushed the door open violently and slammed it behind himself when he was on the other side. Bumblebee vented a sigh of relief. He was always grateful when Shrapnel was gone. Out of all the Insecticons he had the worst temper, and it seemed anything would set him off.

At first Bumblebee was sure the Autobots would rescue him. The Insecticons told him the Autobots had forgotten him and that he was replaceable to Optimus Prime. He didn't believe them and had simply thought it was taking them awhile to find the place. Then again, the Insecticons' hideout wasn't exactly a secret. Why didn't his friends come get him? Was it true? Was he expendable to his own team?

Now that Bumblebee thought of it, that made sense. They had been at war for over 9 million years on Cybertron and here on earth. Sure, he was well liked by his team, but he wasn't essential to making the Autobots function. Maybe they thought it wasn't worth facing the Insecticons to rescue him. Maybe they thought he was already dead. Maybe he was never going to see the Ark again.

It was so hard to think straight! Bumblebee was starving, the Insecticons often woke him to beat and yell at him, and it was starting to mess with his processor. What was he even rebelling against? He was going to die anyway. At least if he died on an operating table it would be quicker than slowly starving…

No! He was an Autobot! They were Decepticons! He would never surrender to these vile creatures no matter how much his system begged him for energon and recharge! He would endure no matter what!

* * *

Hound, Mirage, and Trailbreaker scoured the swamps and forests of Bali looking for the Insecticons' nest. They were sure the bugs would return to the same place they always did. It wasn't as if the Insecticons had any useful equipment in their old ship, but for some reason the bugs kept coming back to that same spot. Perceptor had once expressed interest in studying this behavior, but it seemed foolhardy to try to study sentient killer bugs in their natural habitat.

"I don't understand, didn't it used to be right here?" Mirage asked as he pointed to the trees that hid nothing but foliage and murky water.

"It did," Trailbreaker confirmed, "The Insecticons must've moved it. Whatever they're planning, they have been planning it for a long time. Why else go to the trouble of hiding your home base?"

"If they've harmed Bumblebee, I don't _what_ I'll do to them," Hound seethed in a rare moment of anger from the jeep, "I can't believe they waltzed right into our base and took Bumblebee! I can't believe I didn't hear anything! I should've convinced him to go to movie night. I should've checked on him. I should've…"

Hound trailed off as he uselessly shook his head and wondered what he could've done to save his dear friend. Hound dropped his arms in defeat and wondered if there was something he had missed that night. Trailbreaker walked up to Hound and put a servo on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"It's alright Hound," Trailbreaker said reassuringly, "We'll find him. You're doing all you can. _We're_ doing all we can. We'll bring him back, I promise."

Hound looked at Trailbreaker with grateful optics. He was at least glad he wasn't alone in his search for his friend. He had Mirage and Trailbreaker, and in other locations there were other Autobots on the case. They would find Bumblebee, and hopefully he would be safe and alive.

* * *

Bumblebee heard the locks on the brig door opening, but he didn't even lift his helm to see who it was. He hoped that if they thought he was recharging or in stasis lock that they would leave him alone just this once.

Kickback looked in on Bumblebee, and then entered the room with a small cube of energon. Bumblebee could sense the pure energy coming from the purple cube, but he didn't move a servo. He would still rather be left alone than taunted with energy and then beaten for trying to get some.

" _Psst_! Hey, Bumblebee! Wake up! I got something for you," Kickback hissed softly as he leaned closer and pushed on Bumblebee's frame to rouse him awake.

Bumblebee tried to play dead. He just wanted the Insecticon to go away. He just wanted this nightmare to end. Why wouldn't they just leave him alone?

"Bumblebee!" Kickback said louder this time as he used his pede to gently roll the Autobot over on his back.

Bumblebee reluctantly onlined his optics and slowly sat up; every circuit crying out in pain as he did so due to the exposed wires.

"Here, Bumblebee. I brought you some energon," Kickback said happily as he held up the cube for Bumblebee to inspect, "You're probably running pretty low by now. Come on, little guy. Open wide…"

Bumblebee turned away from the grasshopper as Kickback tried to put the cube near his mouth components. The energon was probably poisoned, or else Kickback had some other sick joke up his metaphorical sleeve. He didn't know what the Insecticon's game was, but he wasn't going to play.

"Oh, come on! You need this!" Kickback insisted, "Just drink some. Oh, don't worry Bumblebee. I asked Shrapnel if you could have it first, and he said it was okay. We're not going to get in trouble for this. Come on! You'll offline without it."

"Yeah, well maybe that's what I want!" Bumblebee snapped with more ire than he intended, "Maybe I'm tired of suffering and being forced to stay here! Maybe I'd rather die than take anything from you miserable bugs!"

"Oh, there it is again!" Kickback suddenly shouted as he placed the cube on the other side of the room.

Bumblebee cringed. When an Insecticon yelled like that, it usually meant they were going to beat him or eat some of his plating. He offlined his optics and waited for the inevitable pain that was sure to come.

"It's always the same!" Kickback wailed, "It's always bugs, insects, cockroaches, pests, etc! It's always 'let's squash 'em like bugs' or 'I wish I had a fly swatter'! This might come as a shock to you Bumblebee, but we're Cybertronians, too!"

When Kickback didn't make a move to hit Bumblebee, he took a chance and onlined his optics. When he did, he saw that Kickback was standing in the middle of the room and his red optics were leaking cleaning fluid. He was actually _crying_. Kickback's frame shuddered, and he turned away from Bumblebee's intense stare.

"Why does everyone treat us like we don't matter?" Kickback whimpered softly, "Megatron would have probably killed us by now if we weren't useful. We can't go to anyone else for help if we have a problem, because everyone assumes we deserve whatever we get just because we eat organic matter. We rely on each other to survive, and we care about each other. What else do we have? So what if we eat plants, animals, and the occasional tractor? We have to. For millions of years there was no way to refine energon on this planet. We made these bodies so that we would survive. Megatron is afraid of us because we don't need him. We don't need anyone because we can survive anywhere, and with any food source. You, however, need this energon, so please...Just take it."

Kickback then placed the glowing cube of energy at Bumblebee's feet and stepped away so Bumblebee wouldn't feel crowded. For the first time since being taken to this place Bumblebee felt something for the Insecticons besides disgust. He actually felt...pity.

Gingerly, Bumblebee placed his servos on either side of the cube. He tried to keep a firm hold on it despite not having digits to grasp it with, but he felt the cube slowly sliding out of his tentative grip. He dropped it, but Kickback managed to grab it at the last second.

"Okay, new plan. Tilt your helm back a little," Kickback ordered.

Against his better judgment, Bumblebee leaned back and let Kickback feed him the energon. It felt so good to have fuel in his systems again, and his body finally began to relax. When he was finished, he saw that his systems were at 42%. It wasn't enough for anything strenuous, but he would probably survive another four or five days on that.

When he was finished refueling, Bumblebee looked back at Kickback relaxing against the moss-covered wall and felt the urge to ask him something.

"Kickback? Why did you give this energon to me?" Bumblebee asked suspiciously.

"You needed it," Kickback said simply as if that explained everything, "Bombshell and Shrapnel said I shouldn't give you my ration and that you would just try to escape or something, but I know deep down you're a nice mech. You won't betray me."

"Betray you? Wait, your ration of what?" Bumblebee's processor felt jumbled. Nothing Kickback said made any sense and Bumblebee didn't know which questions to ask first.

"My ration of the raid," Kickback answered the last question, "We helped Megatron on a raid, but he only gave us a few astro liters of energon in return. It was enough for three small cubes, but I figured you needed it more than I did, so I gave my ration to you. Honestly, I hate the way Megatron cheats us all the time! We all hate working for him, but we don't have the mechpower to stand against him. At least, not yet."

"Wait, you want to fight against Decepticons?" Bumblebee asked incredulously, "But you _are_ Decepticons!"

"No, we're _Insecticons_ , and nobody cares about us but us!" Kickback replied passionately, "Bumblebee, don't you understand? Cybertron is killing itself. Autobots, Decepticons...the difference between them is their faction symbol. That's it. They're both responsible for destroying our old world, and I don't think it'll ever be repaired. The war killed Cybertron."

"Well...As much as I hate agreeing with you on anything, I've thought about it before," Bumblebee admitted, "I guess that's why I love earth so much. There's an innocence here that Cybertron never had. Well, I don't remember Cybertron ever having it, anyway. I don't want the war to harm this planet the way it has Cybertron. That's why it's so important for me to stop the Decepticons. I have friends that live here on earth. When the war's over I might even want to continue to live here. Why should I go back to a dead world? Cybertron doesn't need me."

"We love earth, too," Kickback replied, much to Bumblebee's surprise, "It's our home. We've lived here for millions of years, and unlike you, we were conscious for that entire time. Why do you think we built ourselves in the image of the insects of earth? They are this planet's greatest survivors, and no amount of scorn or malice can kill them. Just like us. Bumblebee, don't you think ridding this planet of unwanted invaders would be easier if you had more power, and more determined allies?"

"Well…" Bumblebee didn't quite know how to answer Kickback. He didn't know what the Insecticon was saying to him exactly.

"Bumblebee, Bombshell's surgery would make you an Insecticon like us," Kickback explained, "You would be able to eat organic matter to survive. You would never risk starvation again. If you were one of us, then we would have a better chance of defeating Megatron and his planet-raping forces. If you say no, I won't pressure you, but think about it at least. The Decepticons would squash you, the Autobots would abandon you, but we would never leave you. Insecticons stick together no matter the consequences. Join us, Bumblebee! If you do, then you will never be powerless again!"

Kickback then gave Bumblebee's upper arm a reassuring squeeze and left the room. Bumblebee didn't know what to think of what just happened. The other two abused him and treated him like scrap, but Kickback was forthright and kind to him. Were they only being malicious because of their anxiety about overthrowing the Decepticon forces? If so, then he and the Insecticons had a common enemy. He just didn't know _what_ to think anymore…

* * *

Kickback returned to the common room where Bombshell and Shrapnel were finishing off their energon rations. His smirk told them he had good news to report.

"So, did he bite?" Bombshell asked expectantly.

"I don't know, but I think he will," Kickback replied hopefully.

"So, the good cop/bad cop routine worked worked?" Shrapnel asked in mild disbelief.

"Sure did. He was literally eating out of my hand," Kickback replied with a spring in his step as he walked over to a pile of logs and started gnawing on one.

Bombshell and Shrapnel were pleased that Kickback's nice guy tactics were working. Soon Bumblebee would agree to anything they asked because he believed they were his friends. What Kickback didn't tell them however was just how real things got in there. He really _did_ want Bumblebee on their team, and he really _was_ tired of the Insecticons being treated like slag.


	5. One of Us

_Author's Notes: This chapter was going to be longer, but I thought enough plot points were covered here. I'll probably slow down on updating stories for a while, but I won't stop writing completely. Truth is, I've been writing more Transformers fics, but I'm not going to publish anything more until I finish a story on here first! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to those that have left reviews :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

One of Us

"It's been three days," Kickback said as he cleaned the grit out of Bumblebee's exposed back cables, "Shrapnel and Bombshell are still waiting for your answer."

"I don't know…" Bumblebee's stress could be heard in his voice, "What if I regret this, or what if they change their minds and eat me anyway? This is a permanent change. What if I'm not Insecticon material?"

"Oh, but you are!" Kickback reassured him, "You're a survivor, Bumblebee. That much is obvious. How else could you survive living among a race that's slowly going extinct while the Decepticons do their dead-level best to kill you? Besides, you're energon is down to what, 10%? Maybe 8%?"

"12.5," Bumblebee informed him, "Still...What if the Autobots don't accept the new me and I end up homeless?"

"Don't you remember what we talked about?" Kickback asked in an exasperated tone of voice, "You're going to be an Insecticon. Your place is here with us. We will never abandon you. By the way, has Shrapnel been treating you any better since I talked to him for you?"

"Well, he does seem to be controlling his temper better," Bumblebee begrudgingly admitted, "I guess so. I noticed Bombshell has been nicer to me. He even brought in a recharge berth for my cell."

"Yeah, we'll have to move that," Kickback commented, "Once the surgery is complete you'll have your own quarters. We cleaned up a room just for you."

"You make it sound as if I already agreed," Bumblebee remarked playfully, "For all you know I might still be planning my escape."

Kickback didn't answer him. The grasshopper was eerily quiet now, but Bumblebee could still feel his claws gently raking across his sensitive wires as Kickback dug bits of dirt and grime out of there for the little scout.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Bumblebee said apologetically, "I just miss my friends is all. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I just want to go home."

"You won't be able to go home if you starve," Kickback pointed out bitterly, "And make no mistake, without our help you _will_ starve."

Perhaps if Bumblebee had been in a better state of mind he would've remembered that they were the ones who put him in danger in the first place, but lack of energon and the small acts of mercy from his captors clouded Bumblebee's judgment. As it was, Bumblebee was tired, hungry, and for some reason really wanted to make his new friend Kickback happy.

"If I agree to the operation, will I be allowed to go back to the Ark afterward?" Asked a cautious Bumblebee.

"I suppose," Kickback relented, "If they don't take you, however, know that you're always welcome here. Insecticons stick together no matter what."

Bumblebee didn't know if the Insecticons would keep their end of the bargain, but he had to take that chance. There was no more energon on the ship, and Bumblebee would shut down if he didn't find some way to make more energy. Being able to eat organic matter seemed like the best solution, and Kickback did promise to let him return to the Ark…

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll let Bombshell operate on me," Bumblebee involuntarily shivered after he said those words...once he actually thought about Bombshell poking around inside him.

"Great!" Kickback replied jubilantly, "This is going to be so awesome! I'll finally have someone below me in the ranks! Instead of third of 3, I'll be third of 4. Thank you, Bee!"

Kickback hugged him, and Bumblebee bit back a cry of pain from his exposed cables. Bumblebee was already starting to have second thoughts, but he knew that it was probably too late now. Now he would be forced to endure the operation and the subsequent alt mode it provided him. He wouldn't be a car-former anymore. He would be an Insecticon.

* * *

Bumblebee was strapped to the table and nervously looked around the dingy operating room Bombshell was using for this surgery. It looked like every piece of organic matter in the room was rotting, and the tools were so badly degraded that it was hard to tell what most of them were for. Needless to say, Bumblebee was sure he was going to die in here, and that made him nervous.

Bombshell placed the tools he wanted on the table and didn't seem to pay his poor patient any notice. Bumblebee saw something that looked like an electric saw, and another thing that was probably a laser scalpel. A few tools were so small and new looking that it was clear the Insecticons stole them from humans.

"Hey, um, Bombshell? This isn't going to hurt, is it?" Bumblebee stammered as he eyed the thing that looked like a corkscrew.

"Of course not, Bumblebee. I won't feel a thing," Bombshell chuckled teasingly at his victim- er, _patient_ , "Seriously though, you'll be in stasis lock during the entire procedure. You won't be aware of anything that happens to you, so don't make me angry before that time arrives or you might find an explosive device in your chest cavity."

Bombshell laughed softly again, and Bumblebee gulped and tugged futilely at the restraints on his arms legs and chest. Bombshell smacked him across the face to get him to hold still, and then began to cross a few wires in Bumblebee's forehead to get him to go into stasis lock. Bumblebee was just grateful it wasn't the cerebro shell again…

* * *

...Bumblebee awoke feeling better than he'd felt in a while. He could still feel that he was restrained, but he didn't feel as naked as he felt before. He deduced that he had plating again. That meant Bombshell must've completed the operation.

He onlined his optics to see all three Insecticons standing around him but talking to each other. He had trouble making out what they were saying. His processor was still fogged up from energon deprivation.

"Um, guys? Can I get something to eat now?" Bumblebee asked groggily; still pulling out of the effects of stasis lock.

"Bumblebee! He's awake!" Kickback cheered.

Bombshell deactivated the restraints and stepped back a little to give Bumblebee some room. His visor crinkled in a satisfied smile, and Shrapnel and Kickback mirrored that expression with excited grins as they looked upon Bumblebee's new frame.

"Welcome to the Insecticons, brother brother," Shrapnel gushed as he spread his arms to express his joy.

"You look great, Bumblebee!" Kickback said encouragingly, "Hey. Let's see you transform!"

"Wait!" Bumblebee interjected, "First I want to see my new robot mode."

"Of course Bumblebee," Bombshell said as he dug a full-length mirror out of his subspace, "I think you'll be quite pleased with my handiwork."

Bumblebee stepped up to the mirror, and was shocked by what he saw! His body was the same dark purple and yellow as the Insecticons! He had a silver face just like them, little yellow horns just like his old body, red optics, claws, spikes on his shoulders, and dark purple and yellow stripes going down his arms and legs in a horizontal pattern. That wasn't the weirdest part though. The weirdest part for Bumblebee was the small set of transparent wings protruding from his back!

"I...I look like _you_ ," was all Bumblebee could bring himself to say.

"You look fabulous fabulous!" Shrapnel declared proudly.

"Come on, Bumblebee, I wanna see you transform!" Kickback begged like a child asking for a toy at the store.

Bumblebee mentally froze. He already looked like a freak in his robot mode. What kind of monstrosity would Bombshell make his alt mode look like? He was afraid to find out, but Kickback was so eager to see it, and Shrapnel was bragging on him like a proud parent brags on the birth of a new child. The moment was so happy, and Bumblebee didn't want to ruin it with his hesitation.

Reluctantly, Bumblebee transformed into his alt mode, and to the surprise of no one except Bumblebee, he transformed into a giant...Bumblebee. The spikes on his shoulders formed a large stinger that stuck out of his overstuffed thorax, and suddenly the stripe patterns made perfect sense as they streaked across his body. Despite their tiny size, his wings actually managed to hold him in the air quite well. Bumblebee had never flown under his own power before, and despite how strange it felt it was also quite liberating. He could see why seekers were so smug about it. Still…

"You made me a _bee_?" Bumblebee asked Bombshell critically, "I look ridiculous with this giant aft!"

"What did you expect to turn into, a beautiful butterfly?" Bombshell asked sarcastically.

"Never mind," Bumblebee sighed, "Listen, I'm pretty hungry. Can we test the matter converter now?"

"You mean _may_ we test the matter converter converter," Shrapnel corrected him haughtily, "And yes, you _may_."

Bumblebee scowled at Shrapnel, but didn't say anything. That stag beetle kind of reminded Bumblebee of a movie he saw with Spike and Carly about a stepmother that treated her pretty stepdaughter like slag until the girl's pumpkin gained a carriage alt mode and she dropped her shoe. Shrapnel's attitude definitely screamed _wicked stepmother._

Mm...Pumpkin. Bumblebee was a little startled that he already craved organic matter. He hadn't even tried any yet, but his body was instinctively telling him that he wanted to feast. He found a vine hanging from the wall, grabbed a fistful of the stuff, and started gulping it down. It felt so good to chew. He had never chewed anything before and it was a very satisfying sensation. The vine converted into energy, but Bumblebee noticed that it wasn't as much energy as the same quantity of energon would've produced.

"I kind of like vines," Bumblebee commented when he was finished eating.

"You should try grain. It's magnificent!" Kickback replied jovially.

"You should get some recharge, Bumblebee," Bombshell advised him, "You've had a rough orn, and you'll need some time to get used to your new body. I'll lead you to your recharge berth in your cell, and tomorrow we can see about moving you into your own room. Welcome Bumblebee, you are now one of us."

Shrapnel and Kickback cheered at those words, but Bumblebee had mixed feelings on the subject. He didn't really want to be an Insecticon, and didn't want to live with these nut jobs, but at the same time he didn't want to disappoint them. It wasn't just about fear of physical harm anymore. They were kind to him, they accepted him, and on some level he felt he owed them something.

Bumblebee allowed Bombshell to take his arm and followed obediently as he was taken back to his cell. He was finally powerful enough to fight against them, but he didn't even consider it anymore. Bombshell watched as Bumblebee crawled into his recharge berth and then quietly shut the door for him. Bombshell smiled after he left Bumblebee in his cell. It worked exactly as they had planned. They didn't just own Bumblebee's body now. They owned his _mind_.


	6. Not One of Us

_Author's Notes: I just want to say thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed this story, and a special shout-out to **Heart of The Demons** for being the only one to review this particular story so far. Thanks :)_

* * *

Chapter 6

Not One of Us

The next few days with the Insecticons weren't too bad for Bumblebee. Sure, he was tired due to all the training with his new body, but the group treated him well and he was finding that he enjoyed the different tastes and energy levels of organic matter. There was so much more variety in his new diet, and he felt sorry for his Autobot friends for all they were missing.

Bumblebee had not given up on returning to the Autobots, but the Insecticons convinced him to wait until he had mastered every new power he had been given. Flight turned out to be the simplest to his surprise. It was almost instinct at this point. He loved flying, and flying with the Insecticons made him feel more secure in the air; like nothing could sneak up and damage him.

Another thing he had learned about was his new stinger. It wasn't attached to his body as he had thought, but rather it was a projectile that was instantly replenished as soon as he shot at something. Theoretically he could run out of ammo, but that had not happened yet. The stinger contained a type of poison that tainted energon, so Bumblebee would have to choose his targets carefully. It was hard to aim the weapon since it was attached to his aft, and in robot mode he couldn't use it at all. Bombshell promised to work out the kinks at a later time.

Another power he hadn't counted on was cloning. At that point in time there were two other Bumblebees walking around that looked just like him, but they were merely drones that he could control via processor uplink. It was weird to get up in the morning and see himself across the room. This was one power he didn't plan on using unless he absolutely had to.

Bumblebee awoke in his plant-covered room to see very little light peeking in through the window. That still meant it had to be a sunny day. The trees in the swamp covered almost everything, and between that and the lack of electricity onboard the ship meant that most days were dark and telling night from day while possible outside was almost impossible inside.

The new Insecticon went into the common room and saw Bombshell and Kickback already up and chewing on some tree bark.

"Good morning, Bumblebee," Kickback greeted him politely, "Would you like some bark? It doesn't bite. Haha!"

Bumblebee smiled and sat down to join his comrades on the floor to eat with them. Bombshell had a strange habit of shoving the food through the grooves in his mask, and that sometimes made Bumblebee wonder if he was even capable of taking it off. For a few minutes there was companionable silence, but then Bumblebee broke it when he said "I'm going back to the Ark today."

"What? _Already_?" Kickback shrieked; horrified, "But what about your training? What about your clones? They need your guidance! Don't go yet! We were having so much fun!"

"Kickback, relax. I'll come back to visit," Bumblebee reassured him, "But my place is in the Ark with my fellow Autobots."

" _Are_ they your fellows?" Bombshell asked pointedly, "I haven't seen them lately. Maybe they're on their way but had to stop off to get you a present. Oh wait, shopping doesn't take _two months_ , does it? Oh well. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why they weren't here for the most important upgrade of your life. Maybe they stopped to make you an oil cake and accidentally burned it."

The passive aggressive tone was not lost on Bumblebee, and he scowled at the boll weevil for his audacity.

"They _are_ my friends!" Bumblebee screamed hotly, "They care about me, and I _am_ going back!"

"Very well Bumblebee, we cannot stop you," Bombshell acquiesced, "If they take you back then I wish you well. If they don't want you anymore, then you will always have a home with us. Don't worry Bumblebee, no matter what happens we will take care of you. You might as well go now while the weather's suitable for flying. I'll tell Shrapnel you left. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Wow, that's actually pretty reasonable of you," Bumblebee commented; mildly surprised, "Thank you. I'll tell the Autobots you were good to me."

"I appreciate that, Bumblebee," Bombshell replied warmly.

Bumblebee didn't waste any time flying out the door and out into the world. He was ready to go home to the Autobots and his own berth. He would get to see Optimus Prime again, and Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Hound, Ironhide, and Spike! There were so many among the Autobot crew he missed. His minibot friends, the Aerialbots, the Dinobots, and even the Lamborghini twins. This was going to be great!

Meanwhile, back in the Insecticon hive, Kickback got up to watch Bumblebee fly away while Bombshell calmly walked over to the computer terminal. He used one of Shrapnel's electricity storage bombs to power the ship's computer and then turned to face Kickback.

"Kickback, how long will it take Bumblebee to reach the Ark?" Bombshell asked; his voice now cold and calculating.

"About 2 hours, Bombshell," Kickback replied; his face all business now.

"Good. Bring me the remnant. I need to make a call," Bombshell ordered cryptically.

* * *

Back at the Autobot base, Optimus Prime felt he had the weight of the universe on his shoulders. The Decepticons had been attacking every other day it seemed, and morale was lower than it had been in deca-orns. After nearly two months of searching they still had been unable to find a trace of Bumblebee or his attackers. The Insecticons were lying low, and the lack of results was starting to get to the crew.

Optimus sat down at Teletran 1 and went over the damage report of the last raid the Decepticons had pulled. They had become more dangerous lately; less careless. It had been by the chrome of his denta that Jazz had managed to avoid being killed by the Constructicons, and Cliffjumper was nearly eviscerated by Starscream two missions ago. Optimus sighed and wondered how they were going to combat this threat.

The worse part though was that no one felt safe in their own base anymore. Hound had started sleeping in the same room as Mirage because he worried about being abducted in the night while he recharged, and Red Alert's normal paranoia had been ratcheted up to eleven! He even had cameras in the wash racks just in case, which caused no small amount of complaints from everyone else.

It was while he was in this mindset that Optimus received a call on Teletran 1. The other crew members with him, Brawn and Prowl, stopped what they were doing to see who it was. They assumed it was more damage reports from the humans at that last nuclear power plant. Optimus answered the transmission, and nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the sinister Bombshell staring back at him!

"Hello, Prime. How are you?" Bombshell asked in an attempt to sound friendly, but it just came across as creepy, "I hope you and your crew are in good physical shape today, because we have decided to-"

"Cram it, bug!" Brawn interrupted him, "We know you and the other creepy-crawlies took Bumblebee! Where is he?!"

"Oh my, how rude of me," Bombshell drew out the last syllable in a fake apologetic manner, "I neglected to tell you about our latest project. You want to see your dear comrade? Well then, allow me to oblige you."

Bombshell then held up a dirty metal object, and the Autobots gasped when they saw what it was. It was Bumblebee's faceplate! It was no longer white, but stained from dark dirty green moss, and the optic holes looked black and ominous in the dim lighting. The mouth hole was open, as if his final moments had been spent in agony. There were a few stray wires hanging limply from the back to show it had been forcibly ripped from his helm. It was as close to a petrified skull as most of the Autobots had ever seen.

"Your Bumblebee was most useful in our latest project," Bombshell said with smiling optics, "His body parts were cannibalized so that we could build a new soldier. You'll meet the newest Insecticon within two hours time. Oh, I admit, your scout struggled at first. He screamed as we tore off his plating, and he whined about us eating his digits. We didn't need every part of him, you see, and science is such _hungry_ work. Not only were his internals useful to us, but also quite delicious."

By this time several other Autobots had come in after hearing Brawn yell. They heard Bombshell's macabre description of how Bumblebee slowly died by his servos, and it was too much. Some growled, some cried, some were shocked into silence, and Beachcomber actually purged his fuel tanks in sickened horror.

"Now Prime, I don't want you to think I'm an uncaring mech, so I'll allow you to keep his face," Bombshell taunted as he held up his trophy.

Optimus knew he couldn't allow himself to lose control. If he gave in to the seething anger he felt in his spark then his team would know just how hopeless things were in that moment. More than anything Prime wanted to slam that screen and feel it break. More than that, he wanted to do the same to the Insecticon's jaw. He knew he had to be strong though. Bumblebee was gone, but there were still many others that relied on him. He wouldn't snap.

"Bombshell, wherever you're hiding, you'd better stay there," Optimus warned with a dangerous edge to his voice, "Because if I ever see you or your team again…"

"Oh, but you will, Prime," Bombshell replied smarmily, "Don't you remember? You have a play date with my latest Insecticon. Oh, and since your mech bravely gave his life so that my new subordinate could be born, I lovingly named him _Bumblebee_."

Bombshell then laughed maniacally, and Prime cut off the video feed so he didn't have to look at that slagger anymore. Optimus vented his intake a few times to try to cool off, but he was still so angry! Bumblebee was one of the youngest members of the team, raised by the Autobots since younglinghood, and Optimus came to look at the little scout as the son he never had. Now he was gone. Eaten And mutilated! Those Insecticons would _pay_ for taking Bumblebee from them.

* * *

It had taken a while, and Bumblebee had to stop twice on the way to grab something to eat, but he could finally see the Ark straight ahead! He was positively giddy to get to see his friends again. He only hoped they understood why he looked so different now. Maybe Ratchet could analyse the matter converter and make one for every Autobot. This could solve the energy shortage on Cybertron and win the war for the Autobots! He was so excited!

When he came into visual range, he saw there were several Autobots already outside the Ark. Something wasn't quite right though...They all had weapons, as if they expected an attack. Were the Decepticons nearby?

Before he could even get close enough to ask, Cliffjumper fired his cannon straight at Bumblebee! The little bee swerved and barely avoided being hit, but then he saw that there were many more shots coming right for him! Prowl's acid pellets grazed one of his extra legs, and he howled in pain as he tried to land. Bumblebee transformed into robot mode and landed, and that was when the Autobots charged at him!

"Guys, what are you _doing_?!" Bumblebee yelled pleadingly, "It's me, Bumblebee!"

"Yeah, we know all about you, bug!" Brawn spat at the unwitting scout.

Then Brawn lunged at him, and Bumblebee ran to get out of the way! He knew that an angry Brawn was a deadly Brawn, and he didn't want to get torn apart...again. He looked back with beseeching optics for any friendly or sympathetic face, but every Autobot seemed to have turned against him.

He took to the sky, but before he could get away Ironhide blasted his lower half with liquid nitrogen, and he sank like a stone.

Once Bumblebee was down, Brawn and Cliffjumper started beating him mercilessly! Bumblebee tried to talk to them, struggled to get away, but amidst the melee nobody heard him. Worse, nobody _wanted_ to hear him out. Ironhide got in a few punches as well, and Bumblebee's vision was starting to cloud over with warning signals across the board.

"Take this, _Bumblebee_!" Cliffjumper shouted mockingly as he slugged Bumblebee across the face.

He had to get out. No matter what he had to escape! With no options left, Bumblebee ripped one of the spikes from his shoulders and plunged it into the first Autobot within range; Sunstreaker.

Oh, scrap…

It took Sunstreaker a second to notice what had happened, but every other Autobot saw, and backed away from the Insecticon to give the deadly dandelion some room to teach the offending bee a lesson. Sunstreaker's face contorted into pure rage, and the world seemed to move in slow motion as Bumblebee slowly backed away and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Sunstreaker let out a primal yell and ran toward Bumblebee! Bumblebee cringed and knew he was going to die, but the killing blow didn't come. He looked, and the yellow frontliner was slumped on the ground with purple streaks glowing across his golden frame. That was when Bumblebee remembered...The spikes were part of his stinger, and the stinger was poisonous. He had poisoned Sunstreaker!

He wanted to help, wanted to do something for his team, but he couldn't. If he was going to survive the assault then he had to fly away! He transformed and flew off while everyone was distracted with Sunstreaker, and was grateful that no one followed him.

He had never felt lower in his life. Attacking him because they thought he was the enemy was one thing, but Brawn said he knew who Bumblebee was, yet still tried to kill him. Cliffjumper knew too, but he didn't care! They all knew who he was. They just didn't want him anymore. Bombshell was right. He wasn't an Autobot anymore. He was an Insecticon. He would never be accepted by his team again. They really _didn't_ care about him...


	7. More, More, More!

_Author's Notes: For those of you who haven't seen it yet, check out the poll I set up on my profile page. I'm trying to determine which new fanfic I should work on next. Also, I want to thank everyone who has read this story thus far. I'm glad to see so many of you like this idea! Thank you very much and feel free to leave a review :)_

* * *

Chapter 7

More, More, More!

Ratchet worked tirelessly to stabilize Sunstreaker, but the poison was quickly working its way through the frontliner's body. As much trouble as the twins could be, Ratchet didn't want to lose either one of them; not on his watch. Sure, they once glued his tools to the ceiling, and there was that one prank where they used his name for a sugar daddy dating website and the place was swarming with human females looking to marry him, but the twins were still like family to him. Like the sons he never had (or wanted).

Another problem if Sunstreaker died would be Sideswipe. As it was the red lambo twin was sitting in the corner of the medical bay watching Ratchet's every move. How would Sideswipe live if Sunstreaker didn't?

When Sunstreaker was semi conscious he was usually moaning in pain. The poison wasn't just deadly, but also burned like acid being poured on Sunstreaker's internals. Those Insecticons were always trouble, but this new Insecticon shook up the Autobots for more reasons than one.

 _Bumblebee_. Those parasites actually had the gall to name their new Insecticon after their murder victim! Really, this could be described as nothing else but murder. They didn't kill Bumblebee in battle. They didn't do this in the name of the Decepticons or even as an act of war. Those things were bad, but the Insecticons actually took their youngest crew member from his berth in the dead of night and gutted him like a fish! They ate him, and they used his parts to build a killing machine to harm the ones Bumblebee loved in life. It was ghastly to say the least.

"Ratchet?" Sideswipe called out in a voice that was small and didn't sound like the red warrior at all, "How is he?"

"He'd be better if I wasn't interrupted every 5 breems with questions!" Ratchet snapped in frustration.

Sideswipe actually smiled at that. When Ratchet was cranky it meant he had everything under control. What would hurt the feelings of most people actually comforted the red twin. He leaned back to get more comfortable in his chair, but never took his optics off his sick and wounded brother.

Ratchet put on a brave face for Sideswipe, but inside he was panicking. Sunstreaker was injected with a poison that was unknown on Cybertron. It was clearly a formula made on earth. Ratchet deduced that the new Insecticon, for he could not bring himself to call it Bumblebee, made the formula in his own body like organic bees do. A cure had to be found and soon, not just for Sunstreaker but also for every Autobot that would have to fight this thing in the future.

The Autobots had been careless when they faced their new foe the first time. They had been so blinded by rage and grief that they failed to study their enemy before facing him. It was a wonder Sunstreaker was the only victim of that bug's attack. Well, Ratchet wouldn't give up until he knew how to counteract this deadly toxin.

* * *

Bumblebee had returned to the Insecticon hive in tears and had hugged Shrapnel the instant he saw him. It didn't matter that only a few months ago they were enemies. It didn't even matter that Shrapnel had beaten him within an inch of his life not too long ago. All that mattered was that Bumblebee had a support system, _any_ support system. He had been cast aside by the Autobots and needed friends now more than ever.

Bumblebee was welcomed back into the hive with open arms, and the poor former scout didn't even notice the evil smirk of triumph on Bombshell's face. The boll weevil knew when he saw Bumblebee return that his trick had worked. The Autobots truly believed Bumblebee was dead, and now their newest minion could never escape their influence.

The next few days passed along quietly. The four Insecticons ate moss and tree bark to their sparks' content, but after five days they ran out of food and needed to go elsewhere to get some more.

"I've got an idea!" Kickback eagerly offered, "I saw a farm in Singapore with lots of rice! We should raid it!"

"Um, I don't know guys," Bumblebee said hesitantly, "Farms are where humans grow their food. They need that food like most Cybertronians need energon. We shouldn't take it. The humans might starve."

" _Humans_ humans?" Shrapnel asked indignantly, "You would put their lives ahead of ours ours?"

"No, I just mean-!" Bumblebee tried to defend his words, but he faltered when he realized Shrapnel was about to go into attack mode.

"Calm down, Shrapnel," Bombshell held up his hands diplomatically, "Bumblebee simply hasn't thought this through yet. Bumblebee, the humans have tens of thousands of farms all over the world; all growing food. We're only going to raid one. It won't even make a dent in their food supply, and we need that energy to survive. Come, Bumblebee. Let us partake in earth's bounty together."

Bombshell's smooth words worked, and fooled Bumblebee into going along with the raid. The farmers would need that farm for food and profit, but Bombshell's grand-picture talk was enough to convince Bumblebee that what they were doing was okay. Besides, Bumblebee didn't want to upset the Insecticons. They were all he had left.

* * *

Ratchet sighed as the test results came back. He and Perceptor had been at this for a week, and all they had managed to do was keep Sunstreaker from dying. He was still in critical condition, and he had only been fully awake once the entire time. Sideswipe was growing restless and weary all at once, and the medic knew this test result would only make matters with the red Lamborghini worse.

"You have to tell him," Perceptor said softly as he put a consoling hand on Ratchet's shoulder, "We can't keep this from Sunstreaker's only living relative."

"I haven't felt this helpless in a long time," Ratchet sighed with a haggard expression, "We can't tell him yet."

"Tell me what?" Sideswipe asked accusingly from behind them as he entered through the doorway, "You know something, don't you? Is Sunny going to die?"

Ratchet rubbed the bridge of his nose cone and then looked back at Perceptor. He couldn't look Sideswipe in the optics just yet. He was too tired and too upset.

"Well, Sideswipe," Perceptor fielded the question for Ratchet, "It appears that the toxin is made from a corrupted form of the Insecticon's own energon."

"So?" Sideswipe barked, "I don't care what it's made of! Just tell me how you plan to fix it!"

"Sideswipe, it's a venom," Perceptor replied gravely, "The only way to make an antidote is to have more venom. We would need to find the Insecticon that did this to Sunstreaker and squeeze the toxic liquid from his stinger. From there we would have to isolate the code that contains the venom and study it. From there we would have to-"

"Enough!" Sideswipe cut him off, "So, if I brought you back the bug's lifeless husk would you be able to get some of this venom junk?"

"No, Sideswipe," Ratchet cut into the conversation, "First of all, we need the Insecticon alive if we're going to get the venom. Second, no one has seen the Insecticons since the attack on the Ark. Finding them would be difficult enough, but we would also need to get a sample of toxin from its stinger without any of us getting stung in the process. It's a tall order, and I don't think Sunstreaker has time to wait for all that. I'm sorry, but I don't think he's going to make it through the week. All we can do now is keep him comfortable."

"No! You're wrong!" Sideswipe screamed bitterly, "He'll make it! You'll see! I'll find the bug myself, milk him dry, and then make him wish he was dead! They already took Bumblebee. They're not getting Sunstreaker, too."

Before Ratchet could protest Sideswipe had stormed out the door, leaving the medic and the scientist dumbfounded.

/Ratchet to Optimus Prime, I think Sideswipe is about to do something stupid and reckless...again./

* * *

Four happy Insecticons chewed and gulped down energy-rich organic matter and enjoyed the sunshine that was out that day. Living in the swamp was wet, dark, and cold. Having all this warm bright sun was a welcome treat for the mechanical bugs. Kickback bucked and kicked at the streams of water to see the splashes he made while Shrapnel rolled his optics at the young grasshopper.

Bumblebee had never tasted rice before. It wasn't too bad, but the tiny parts got stuck in his mandibles. As much fun as the farm was, he wanted to do something with more of a social aspect. He wished he could take his new friends to the arcade. He and Spike went all the time, and Spike always bragged about the pizza there, as well as the cheeseburgers across the street from the arcade.

Hm...That gave him an _idea_...

"Hey guys, have you ever tasted pizza before?" Bumblebee asked.

"No, what is pizza pizza?" Shrapnel asked, and Bumblebee suppressed a chuckle at realizing Shrapnel sounded just like the Little Caesar's commercial.

"Pizza is a food the humans make," Bumblebee explained, "According to Spike it's the best food in the world. Of course, Carly said the best food is chocolate, and Sparkplug said it's steak, so I'm not sure. Chip likes liver, but Spike said that was weird for a human."

"I think the liver sounds good," Kickback commented.

"Show us where to find this _pizza_ pizza," Shrapnel ordered with hungry anticipation.

It took three hours for the Insecticons to fly across the ocean from Singapore to the United States. There was probably pizza closer than that, but Bumblebee wanted to eat at the arcade where he and Spike played all the time. With any luck he might run across his human friend and explain what happened to him. He wanted more than anything to have his friend Spike with him during this difficult time. He was sure the other Insecticons would love Spike.

When they made it into Central City the humans on the street took one look at the giant monster bugs and ran for their lives! Bumblebee was hurt that they immediately assumed the Insecticons were bad, but then again he understood why. These guys did work for Megatron when it suited them. Bumblebee admitted to himself that he was wary at first, too.

"Which building is it is it?" Shrapnel asked as they flew overhead in their insect forms.

"That one with the flashing yellow sign," Bumblebee pointed to the arcade, "They also have video games we can play."

"Cool!" Kickback interjected cheerfully.

The Insecticons stormed inside, and the patrons immediately began to run and duck under tables. Bombshell went up to the kid working the register; a redheaded guy with acne and a petrified look on his face.

"Please, take the money, just don't hurt anyone!" The cashier yelled fearfully.

"We don't want your money!" Bombshell snapped impatiently, "We want your pizza! As much as you've got!"

"Pizza?" The cashier asked in a small mousy voice that conveyed his disbelief.

"Yes, and hurry up up!" Shrapnel barked, "We're starving starving!"

Bumblebee hated to admit it, but he was still hungry too. They ate an entire field of rice, but their tanks still didn't have enough energy. It was amazing how much food was required to keep the Insecticons functioning. Clearly the matter absorbers were only designed to be a temporary solution to a low energon supply.

The cashier slowly slunk away from the Insecticons as they watched him with suspicion. He made no sudden moves as he slowly worked his way to the kitchen and told the chef what the Insecticons wanted. After a minute the cashier poked his head out of the door and asked "Um, what kind of toppings did you want?"

"Everything everything!" Shrapnel shrieked, and the boy flinched before ducking back into the kitchen.

It only took a few minutes before the first four pizzas were ready, and the cashier assured them that more pizza was coming so please don't eat anyone. They ate their pizzas right away, and every one of them instantly moaned contentedly as they savored the new flavor. Well, except for Shrapnel. He hated the anchovies. Bumblebee had to tell Spike later that he was right about pizza being wonderful. Thinking about Spike however, made him think of something else.

Bumblebee looked around the crowd of scared humans, mostly children and teenagers, and felt bad that they were all afraid of him and his teammates. He didn't want to alienate anyone, so he went up to the closest human, a black girl with lots of braids, and waved hello. She tried to scoot further into her hiding spot under the booth, and Bumblebee felt crushed.

"No, don't be scared little girl!" Bumblebee whispered frantically as he tried to scoot closer to see her, "I'm a nice mech, really. My name is Bumblebee, what's yours?"

" _Bumblebee_? Your mama wasn't very creative, was she?" The girl replied skeptically, but never took her wary eyes off him.

"Huh? Oh, you mean my- oh. I didn't always look like this," Bumblebee stammered and chuckled at the same time, "Listen, I might look like a big scary bug on the outside, but inside I'm as harmless as you or anybody else here."

"Yeah right, if by anybody else you mean _them_ ," the little girl quipped as she pointed to the other three Insecticons.

"Hey Bumblebee! We got more pizza!" Kickback shouted.

Bumblebee was torn between trying to make friends with the little girl or eating more pizza with his team, but in the end his fuel tanks won out against his spark. He looked back forlornly at the little girl and waved goodbye, and then went back to eating his stolen pizza with his new friends.

What he didn't know was that they were in the sights of a fearsome hunter. Sideswipe had heard the call over the police scanner about a group of robot insects invading an arcade/pizzeria, and knew it could only be his brother's attackers. Soon they would pay for what they did to Sunstreaker, and the robot bee would be especially sorry once Sideswipe got his servos on him.


	8. Drained

_Author's Notes: After all this time, I probably should've made this a longer chapter. I hope this chapter came out okay. I can't really tell. I want to thank everyone who had read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You guys are great :)_

* * *

Chapter 8

Drained

The moment had been peaceful. Bumblebee ate pizza with his new brothers. He tried to make the humans feel better about their presence, but they were too afraid to believe they were safe. Bumblebee didn't know what to do, and he didn't know how to not look too obvious in his concern for the humans. What surprised Bumblebee however, was how the other Insecticons reacted to his attempts to comfort the humans.

"Bumblebee, are you talking to the humans?" Kickback asked, and Bumblebee nodded hesitantly, "Great! Ask them if they want any pizza."

"Huh?" Bumblebee asked; stupefied.

"They can definitely have the anchovies anchovies," Shrapnel agreed as he made a disgusted face at the offending fish-speckled pizzas.

"Wait, _you_ want to befriend the humans, too?" Bumblebee asked incredulously.

"Why not? We're not doing anything else, and they're not bothering us," Bombshell reasoned, "Besides, I fear we have a bad reputation with the human natives. We're not monsters. Megatron's attacks and the Prime's propaganda have convinced the humans we are bloodthirsty killers, when that simply isn't true."

"Oh, guys! You don't know how happy I am to hear that!" Bumblebee smiled from audial to audial, "I was afraid you would hate humans."

"Not at all all," Shrapnel said with a sickly sweet smile, "We _love_ humans humans."

/Hey, Shrapnel! You're pouring it on too thick!/ Bombshell chided him from the comm system.

/Shut up and let me do my job job!/ Shrapnel argued.

Just then, the windows broke when a rock hit them, and the people screamed! Bee looked outside, and he saw Sideswipe standing in the middle of the street and giving them a murderous glare!

"We have to get out of here!" Kickback shouted in panic.

"Do not fear. We will escape," Bombshell replied reassuringly, "Shrapnel, can you provide a distraction?"

"Of course course!" Shrapnel replied proudly, "You three fly out the back back!"

Everyone nodded, and Bombshell led Kickback and Bumblebee to the kitchen while Shrapnel flew outside to battle Sideswipe alone. It seemed like suicide, but the bug was confident in his abilities.

"So Autobot, you dare interrupt our meal meal?" Shrapnel shouted dangerously, "Well then, prepare to join us for dinner dinner!"

Shrapnel then attempted to electrocute the red frontliner, but Sideswipe dodged the attack and started shooting his back mounted cannon at the Insecticon! Shrapnel flew away, but he didn't count on Sideswipe having a jet pack. Sideswipe pursued the bug in the air, and then saw the other three attempting to join their leader. _Perfect_.

Sideswipe broke off his attack on Shrapnel and swerved straight for Bumblebee! The new Insecticon wasn't even looking at him, so he didn't notice the Autobot until he was being tackled to the ground violently by him! Bumblebee felt his plating shatter under the weight of the larger 'Bot, and he felt the air from his vents being knocked out of him!

"Finally! You're coming back to the Ark with me, you good for nothing slagger," Sideswipe said with his mouth right at the Insecticon's audio receptor, "And when they're through with you, I'm gonna make you wish you were never built."

"Sideswipe, please! It's me, Bumblebee!" Bumblebee pleaded with his former friend.

"Shut up, bug!" Sideswipe snapped roughly at Bumblebee as he smashed his helm against the concrete, "Surrender or die!"

"I...surrender," Bumblebee moaned.

Normally Bumblebee would never surrender a fight, but this was _Sideswipe_. How could he try to hurt someone who had once been his friend? Even if the Autobots had betrayed and abandoned him, that didn't mean he didn't care about them anymore. Maybe he could try to mend the broken bonds if he was in the Ark. Maybe he could have one more chance.

Sideswipe transformed into his alt mode all around the Insecticon, which was a tight fit for Bumblebee despite his smaller-than-average-'Bot size. He felt squished inside the Lamborghini, but at least he was still alive.

The other three Insecticons would have stopped him, but they had problems of their own. Skyfire had followed Sideswipe and had attacked the other Insecticons when he saw Sideswipe fighting the new poisonous one.

They fought for almost an hour trying to lose the oversized jet-former. Shrapnel was in stasis lock by the time the fight was over, but Bombshell and Kickback had somehow managed to get Shrapnel away from Skyfire. When they flew off they didn't stop until they were at a mountain clearing near a river.

"What do we do, Bombshell?" Kickback asked pitifully, "Shrapnel is out cold and they have Bumblebee in their clutches!"

"I will repair Shrapnel," Bombshell replied calmly, "When he is well, we will rescue Bumblebee. Time is of the essence. We can't afford Bumblebee making amends with his former colleagues. If they get him back then everything we've done will have been for nothing. Above all else, we must ensure the Autobots aren't allowed to use our technology or steal our subordinates."

Kickback nodded and wiped some energon off Shrapnel's forehead with a cleaning cloth. He wanted Bumblebee back too, but not just because he was Insecticon-based technology. No, he just wanted his new friend back.

* * *

Optimus looked over Sideswipe and Skyfire. Skyfire had sustained a few minor injuries at the servos of the Insecticons, and Sideswipe was scuffed up pretty bad yet grinning like a Sharkticon. He had done it! He had brought that ugly bug back to the brig and it would soon be drained of its venom. He got revenge, and he would also save his brother. Not a bad day for the frontliner.

"Sideswipe, you directly disobeyed orders and could have gotten yourself killed trying to capture that Insecticon," Optimus Prime said; his voice weary and his helm aching, "You will report to Prowl for the next 2 orns for cleaning detail."

"Yes sir!" Sideswipe chirped happily; uncaring of his punishment so long as his twin would be saved.

"Dismissed," Optimus sighed, and Sideswipe left the room immediately, "Skyfire, I want to thank you for assisting in this matter."

"No problem, sir," Skyfire replied respectfully, "Will my services be required in the brig?"

"Perhaps," Optimus replied, "Report to Perceptor. He will tell you what is required of you."

"Yes, sir," Skyfire bowed a little; a silent request for dismissal.

Optimus told Skyfire he could go, and Skyfire left unhurriedly and headed toward the science labs. Once Optimus was alone, he sank into Teletran's chair and sighed heavily, He had already mourned Bumblebee in private, but the pain was still too raw for him to believe it would go away anytime soon. Bumblebee had been like a son to him. To have the creature on this ship that had stolen Bumblebee's parts and name...it was too much.

He hoped they would finish working on it soon so they could send the thing to Cybertron for trial. No matter what the Insecticons did, he couldn't kill that thing. The new Insecticon didn't ask to be born. No matter how much Optimus grieved or how bitter he felt, he understood that this new Bumblebee wasn't to blame for the old one's death.

* * *

Spike sat with Hound in the rec room with a forlorn expression on his young face. He had heard a few days prior about what had happened to Bumblebee. It had taken the Autobots a while to tell him due to a combination of busy schedules and reluctance to approach the boy about his best friend's demise. Spike was so upset that he didn't want to go back to Autobot HQ at first. He only did when his father needed to go to help Wheeljack with a new invention, and even then he only wanted to talk to Hound. Jazz was cool, and so was Ironhide, but Hound was younger. He felt more like a peer to Spike.

They didn't really talk much as they sat there together. Hound nursed an energon cube, and Spike fiddled with a ballpoint pen. They were both still grieving, but this was the first time they grieved together. Finally, Hound broke the silence.

"I should've found him."

"Excuse me?" Spike asked politely; not comprehending what Hound said.

"I should've found Bumblebee," Hound clarified, "Trailbreaker Mirage and I were sent out to find Bumblebee. We should've tried harder. Maybe then he would still be alive. He was _eaten alive,_ Spike. His final words were probably cries for help, and I couldn't do anything!"

"Hey, you did everything you could," Spike replied consolingly, "Nobody expects you or any other Autobot to be able to work miracles. The Insecticons are to blame for what happened to Bumblebee, not you. I understand why you're upset though. He was my best friend, too. Things will never be the same without him."

"I didn't tell you the worst part," Hound said miserably, "The Insecticons didn't just eat him. They used his body parts to…"

"To what?" Spike pressed when Hound stopped talking.

"...Spike, they made another Insecticon, and they used some of Bumblebee's parts to do it," Hound explained, and Spike gasped in horror, "As a final way to mock their victim, they named their new soldier _Bumblebee_. They even made him look like a bumblebee."

"Those heartless savages," Spike whispered as renewed tears silently fell from his eyes, "Bumblebee never did anything to deserve this. I say we take Cosmos out and look for more cybernetic bug spray!"

"Not a bad idea," Hound nodded, "Bumblebee might not even be the only one we lose to these fiends. I didn't want to dump too much information on you at once, but there is another potential casualty."

"Who?" Spike asked anxiously.

"Sunstreaker," Hound replied, "He was poisoned by the new Insecticon."

Spike sighed and slumped down further in his seat. He wasn't close to Sunstreaker, in fact he was pretty sure Sunstreaker hated humans, but it still hurt that another Autobot was suffering and possibly even dying because of the Insecticons. He didn't remember the other Decepticons being this much trouble. How were the Insecticons suddenly so dangerous? What were they planning with all this?

* * *

Bumblebee hadn't been in this much pain since before his operation! He had Brawn holding a gun to his helm, otherwise he would probably try to escape. He was held down by Skyfire, and Perceptor was boring a hole into his stinger all the way down to the thorax! He didn't understand why they were torturing him like this, even if he was an Insecticon now. Did all the years he spent as a faithful and loyal Autobot mean nothing to them?

"Please, stop!" Bumblebee whined as he struggled in Skyfire's firm grip.

"Cram it, bug!" Brawn barked as he shoved the pistol against Bumblebee's helm, "One more word outta you and I'll fire!"

Bumblebee whimpered but didn't attempt to reason with them anymore. If they were willing to do this to him then clearly they weren't going to listen.

Perceptor, meanwhile, had finished his incision and had the container placed directly under where the new leak was. This energon was infused with the poison from the stinger, and should be enough to synthesize and anti-venom for Sunstreaker. Perhaps they could even make a spare batch for just in case this Insecticon managed to escape and harm someone else. He felt a little guilty that they couldn't put him under for this, but the Insecticon had to be conscious in order for his body to perceive the threat and make the venom for them.

Finally, after 15 agonizing minutes, Perceptor left the prison cell, and Skyfire and Brawn cautiously backed away after him; Brawn's gun pointed at Bumblebee at all times. They activated the energy bars, and Bumblebee was left alone. Part of him was glad they were gone and the pain stopped, but another part of him wanted to beg them to come back. He didn't want to be alone in the brig with no one to talk to.

He transformed back into robot mode, and the injury that had been on his thorax was now on his shoulders. His spikes hurt, and he knew it was only going to get worse. It reminded him of when the Insecticons first captured him. That ended with him being turned into a giant bee. This time...He wasn't sure what would become of him.

Bumblebee settled in for a long wait, but he wasn't sure what he was waiting for. His guard was Brawn. Normally he would be perfectly happy to talk to Brawn, but the burly minibot had been especially harsh to him since his transformation. He knew it was a bad idea to try to strike up a conversation with him now.

It was 10 minutes of nothing happening. That might not have been long, but in a silent and lonely brig it was awful. Bumblebee just wanted to see some of his friends again. Maybe not Sideswipe though. He seemed pretty unhinged last time. Also not Perceptor, since apparently now the Autobots practiced torture. Bumblebee sighed and sat on his bunk with his helm in his left hand.

Finally, there was a swoosh to indicate the door opening. Bumblebee gingerly looked up to see who had come in, and was surprised to see Spike standing there looking right at him. The boy's face was a combination of anger and hurt, and Bumblebee wondered if Spike would even be willing to listen to an explanation.


	9. Come With Me

_Author's Notes: Considering how popular this fic is and how much I like this idea, I really should update it more often. There are just too many things that keeping from updating as much as I would like. I'm glad you guys have kept up with this story thus far, and I hope you like this chapter as well. Please review, favorite, and follow to see more :)_

* * *

Chapter 9

Come With Me

When Spike made his way to the Autobot brig, he didn't know quite what to expect. He couldn't really explain why he had to see the Insecticon, but he felt that he did. That thing was made from the remains of his best friend, and it severely wounded an Autobot. For some reason, he felt he owed it to Bumblebee to look one of his killers in the optic and demand an explanation from it.

He went inside to see that Brawn was dozing off in a desk chair. Fortunately the energy bars held firm and there was no way the Insecticon could get away. Spike turned to look at it, and found it staring back at him with unnerving red optics. He saw no malice, but it was also difficult to tell what the thing was feeling. He saw it move closer to the glowing energy bars to get to him, and Spike instinctively took a step back. The look that crossed the bug's face was strange, but Spike was having trouble placing the expression. Was it...Hurt? Concerned? Angry? He couldn't tell due to the uniquely alien features of the yellow and purple monstrosity. Spike didn't know what to do next, so he turned to go back the way he came.

"Wait!" The Insecticon exclaimed, "Please, don't leave."

The voice sounded so desperate, and oddly familiar-. _Oh_. Of course. They used his vocalizer. That _thing_ had Bumblebee's voice.

Spike wanted to say something. He wanted to curse the bug out. He wanted to cry and scream and demand to know _why_! He couldn't though. Any words he might've had died in his mind as he found himself staring up at this mechanical doppelgänger. It shoulders were injured, and those eerily sharp spikes seemed to bear the brunt of the damage. On the one hand it looked helpless, but on the other hand it looked menacing and deadly.

"Spike..." Bumblebee said weakly.

Spike gasped and flinched away from the Insecticon. He didn't expect it to know his name! How did this thing know his name _!?_

"Please, let me explain," Bumblebee requested plaintively, "I know it looks like I betrayed the Autobots, but I swear to you that it isn't true! I needed this body or I would starve, but I'm still the same Bumblebee on the inside. Please, I just need to talk to Optimus. Surely he would listen to me. Please Spike, you're my best friend! You have to help me, please!"

"What are you-?" Spike stopped himself before he finished his own question; his mind racing, "No! I know what you're trying to do! You're just pretending to be Bumblebee so you can escape, but it's not going to work! You're not my friend! You're not the real Bumblebee! You're just a fake!"

Bumblebee couldn't believe what he was hearing! They thought he was an imposter? Was that why they were so cruel toward him now? Was it all a misunderstanding? He had to get Spike to see the truth.

"Spike don't leave yet!" Bumblebee called out as Spike turned to go, "I can prove I'm Bumblebee. I can tell you things only the real Bumblebee would know."

"Yeah, like what?" Spike demanded skeptically.

"Well...You said pizza was the best food in the world, but I told you I couldn't taste it because I don't eat organic food," Bumblebee reminisced, "Well, I tried pizza for the first time today. It really is wonderful, but I haven't had a chance to try cheeseburgers yet. That might be good too, but it would take an awful lot to top pizza."

"That doesn't prove anything," Spike huffed as he crossed his arms, "Lots of people like pizza."

"Carly's favorite food is chocolate, and Chip's is liver," Bumblebee told him quickly, "Also, Sparkplug got his nickname because he was the only one on the oil rig that could fix that rusted out drill the other workers called Ol' Bessie. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but I remember Sparkplug telling that story to Wheeljack. I also remember when you first met Carly. She actually liked me instead of you, and you were jealous. She wound up going out with you anyway though."

"Bumblebee...It _is_ you…" Spike said quietly as he looked in awe at his friend; no longer seeing a mere Insecticon but still confused as to what happened, "But...what did they _do_ to you?"

"Well…" Bumblebee wasn't sure himself how to explain it, "They fixed my body so I can eat organic matter. That makes it easier for me to survive in the swamp where there isn't a supply of energon. At first I was their prisoner, but they explained that they don't like working for Megatron and need help to break free of him, so I joined them in their fight against the Decepticons."

"Seriously?" Spike asked in befuddlement, "Do you hear yourself? They kidnapped you and turned you into a freak!"

"No, Spike. You don't understand," Bumblebee replied sadly, "The Autobots turned their backs on me, but the Insecticons took me in and gave me fuel and shelter. They're my friends, Spike. I know they could be yours, too."

Spike felt a cold chill crawl across his skin as he listened to Bumblebee's words. The good news was that his best friend was still alive. The bad news was that he had been corrupted and turned into an Insecticon. He didn't believe Bumblebee would hurt him, but then again he hurt Sunstreaker. What was Bumblebee becoming? Could the Autobots help him recover from this trauma, or would he be doomed to be their enemy from now on?

Spike didn't have time to get answers to these questions. He heard a loud buzzing noise, and found himself caught in the blast zone of the wall behind Bumblebee exploding into a million fragments! If he hadn't been standing right in front of Bumblebee, Spike would've been impaled by the shrapnel! Speaking of Shrapnel…

"I found him him!" Shrapnel exclaimed as he flew into the cell, "Quick! Cut the power power!"

"Not again…" Spike whispered as the lights went dark and the energy bars dissolved.

Shrapnel felt woozy as he flew. He was still recovering from his injuries, but he felt the need to lead this mission to reclaim their comrade. After all, if he didn't do it then what kind of leader was he? He couldn't afford to look weak in front of Bombshell and Kickback.

"Come on, Bumblebee Bumblebee!" Shrapnel shouted, "Can you fly fly?"

"I...I think so," Bumblebee said uncertainly.

"Oh, no you don't!" Brawn shouted as he ran toward the Insecticons.

Bumblebee's optics widened when he saw Brawn charging at them! He had to get away from the Autobots! They were going to hurt him! He had to go back to the protection of the Insecticons!

Bumblebee looked down at Spike for a split second, and quickly decided he was going to take the boy with him. He transformed into bee-mode, grabbed Spike using his extra legs, and flew out of the brig with Shrapnel! Spike yelled as he was lifted up and away! He didn't know what Bumblebee was planning, and he didn't know if he could trust his friend anymore.

The Autobots ran outside and were going to fire on the Insecticons, but one look at their human friend being held hostage and they refrained. Skyfire attempted to follow them, but Bombshell and Kickback held him off until Shrapnel and Bumblebee were out of sight with their human passenger. A few other Autobots tried to follow, but the fliers lost them when the Insecticons dove down into a forest and flew low.

Soon they were gone, and the Autobots drug themselves back to base. Optimus wondered how he was going to explain to Sparkplug that his only child had been taken by giant robot bugs.

* * *

The Insecticons and Spike landed at their base in the swamp in Bali. Spike was never so glad to see the ground as he was in that moment. He was air sick, and had actually faded in and out of consciousness depending on how high or low Bumblebee would fly. Bumblebee tried to be careful with his human friend, but he needed to fly high to get to the base quicker so they could land.

Once inside Bumblebee and the others turned into robot mode, and Bumblebee decided to carry Spike inside so the boy could recover from his flight. Spike was still scared, but he at least knew Bumblebee was trying to be kind, so he endured being there with little complaint.

"This is so great!" Kickback exclaimed happily as he looked at Bumblebee holding Spike, "First we get a new teammate, and now we have a pet! Can I hold him? Please?"

"It's a human, Kickback," Bombshell said with disdain, "You'll have plenty of opportunities to see them."

"Besides, Spike is not a pet," Bumblebee added; affronted, "He is my friend. Didn't you guys say you wanted to be friends with the humans?"

"Not exactly exactly," Shrapnel corrected him, "We said we wanted to help the humans humans."

"And we do," Bombshell added, "We have a great plan in mind that will help our cause and also help the human race to grow and thrive. First things first though, your little friend looks exhausted. We should get him set up for recharge. Follow me, everyone."

Spike looked up at Bumblebee warily as he was carried in the former Autobot's arms. The Insecticons walked into the holding cells, and Bumblebee stopped suddenly in the doorway.

"No way!" Bumblebee said firmly, "Spike is not spending the night in a cage! I will not let you imprison my friend!"

"This is not a prison for Spike," Bombshell assured him, "This is a protection for the boy. The cell will remain unlocked so Spike may come and go as he pleases, but this room is the most heavily shielded from the elements. Also, if the Decepticons invaded our home this room would offer the most protection. I'm only thinking of the human's well being, Bumblebee. You understand, don't you?"

"Well...I guess," Bumblebee relented.

"No! Don't trust him Bumblebee!" Spike shouted, "He's clearly up to something! Don't you see? They're using you!"

"Why you _little_ little!" Shrapnel growled, but Kickback held him back.

"Now Shrapnel, that's no way to treat our guest," Bombshell chided his teammate, "I understand why the boy is suspicious. We have been enemies of the Autobots for years, and it can be hard to put aside certain prejudices. Spike, we're not trying to hurt you or Bumblebee. Like it or not, he is one of us. We will not harm you because you are a friend of the family. Now, would you prefer leaves or vines for your bed? I'm afraid we don't have any human bedding on board the ship, but we will remedy that for future visits."

"Um...Both, I guess?" Spike replied uncertainly; trying to get past the weirdness of seeing Bombshell behave civilly toward him.

"Alright then," Bombshell nodded amiably, "Bumblebee, come with me and I will tend to your injured shoulders. Shrapnel and Kickback can handle gathering the human's bedding in the meantime."

"Can I come with you guys?" Spike asked Bombshell, "I want to make sure Bumblebee is okay."

"He will be fine, I can assure you," Bombshell replied, "I don't need you underfoot when I'm trying to work. It's nothing personal. Now be good for Shrapnel and Kickback. Pleasant dreams, little human."

Spike shivered involuntarily as he watched Bumblebee blindly follow Bombshell out of the cell. Just hearing that creepy voice say _pleasant dreams_ was enough to ensure he wasn't getting any sleep that night.

Shrapnel and Kickback turned to go, and he noticed that they locked his cell door!

"Hey, you guys said this wouldn't be locked!" Spike yelled at them.

"Listen here you little punk punk!" Shrapnel hissed, his voice suddenly very harsh and his optics flaring red, "The only reason we allow you to survive is because we like Bumblebee and want to keep him happy happy. Soon he will be weaned off of his former life for good good. When that happens, you're human stew stew!"

Spike shook in fear as he stared up at those pitiless red optics. The oversized mandibles on Shrapnel's back were twitching, as if anticipating the meal Spike would make. He was going to die if he couldn't convince Bumblebee that the Insecticons were evil, but it looked as if Bumblebee was putty in their servos. He believed whatever they fed him, he obeyed whatever they told him to do, and not even Spike seemed able to change Bumblebee's mind.


	10. Organic Farming

_Author's Notes: I've been planning this chapter for a while now (especially the latter part). That being said, this still disturbed me a little. I'm not sure that says much, as I am creeped out easily, but this chapter actually creeped me out and I wrote it! I added a few comedic moments to even it out, so I'm not sure how to describe the tone of this chapter. You'll just have to read and judge for yourselves. Thank you for supporting this story. It is actually one of my more popular ones right now (that isn't finished). Please review, favorite and follow to see more. You guys are a great audience :)_

* * *

Chapter 10

Organic Farming

The next morning Bumblebee worked on controlling his clone. He was getting mech better at giving orders to his metallic double, and the clone seemed more eager than usual to please. Bumblebee wondered if Insecticon drones could pick up on emotions and if that was why it was so responsive. Bumblebee was in a very good mood today because he awoke knowing his shoulder was healed, his best friend Spike was waiting for him, and his Insecticon brothers were supportive of his life choices. All was right with Bumblebee's little patch of the universe.

Spike, meanwhile, had awakened when he heard the sound of bars being rattled. He drowsily looked up to see Kickback unlocking his cell door. The young grasshopper wasn't paying any attention to Spike as he deftly did his job and then left. Spike wondered if he was going to be fed anytime soon. He also wondered if he was really allowed to leave or if this was just a clever trick to force Spike into a cruel trap. The teenager decided he had to take his chances, and he left to see the rest of the ship.

He found Bumblebee in the main control room shining the armor of his clone. Shrapnel was nearby feeding his electricity into generator pods so they could power the ship. Spike didn't know how Bumblebee could be so comfortable around the electric stag beetle. Shrapnel was a monster, but Bumblebee acted like they were best friends and that everything was fine. It was a lot for Spike to stomach.

"Hey, Spike!" Bumblebee greeted him warmly, "How are you, buddy? Did you sleep well? I hope the vines weren't too hard on your bone structure. I don't know how tough or sensitive humans are in that regard."

"Bumblebee, the Insecticons-!" Spike was about to tell Bumblebee everything, but then he saw Shrapnel looking at him.

Spike stared back at the Insecticon leader and stopped mid-sentence. Shrapnel's mandibles on his back were twitching hungrily, the Insecticon himself was smirking, and he could actually see Shrapnel mouth the words 'tell him him'. It was a challenge. Spike knew if he told Bumblebee he was locked in a cell like a criminal that it would be the only excuse the Insecticons would need to pounce on him and eat him alive! Spike hated the Insecticons, but he also knew he needed to be smart about this, and wait for a better moment.

"The Insecticons what?" Bumblebee asked innocently when Spike didn't say anything else.

"Um, the Insecticons...picked out good bedding," Spike fumbled for words in hopes the listening audio receptors wouldn't deem him their breakfast, "So, what are we going to do today, Bumblebee?"

"Oh, Shrapnel is powering up the ship, so I thought we could cook something for you to eat," Bumblebee said with a friendly smile, "Kickback found a bag of rice last night when he was scouting for dinner. I saved it back for you so you could teach me how to cook it. So far I've just been eating rice raw, but I remember you telling me that humans don't typically eat raw rice."

"Sounds great, Bumblebee," Spike replied; trying to smile and enjoy himself despite the tension in the air, "I'd be happy to teach you how to cook, but don't ask for anything complicated. My dad's the real cook in the family. You'd never know it though since we usually just get take-out food these days. You know Bee, my dad will be worried about me. Will I be allowed to contact him?"

"Sure, once Shrapnel powers up the computers we'll be all set," Bumblebee informed him happily, "Maybe I can contact Optimus as well. It'll be great!"

Bumblebee and Spike walked away to cook the rice and have some nice breakfast conversation. Shrapnel heard everything they said, however, and knew just what he needed to do. He'd let them have their little meal, but after that the generators were going to be "accidentally" broken. No way was he letting their new lackey contact that pompous Peterbuilt wannabe Optimus Prime.

* * *

By mid-afternoon Kickback had returned from scouting for farmland to raid, and Spike said hello in an effort to be nice. He was more afraid of Bombshell and Shrapnel than he was Kickback. He would soon learn what a mistake that was.

"Bumblebee, Bombshell says he wants to see you right away," Kickback informed Bumblebee around early evening, "He says it's important."

"Alright then," Bumblebee nodded, "Spike, stay inside and stay out of trouble. I'll be right back."

"Wait Bee, can I come with you?" Spike asked in an effort to not be alone in the Insecticons' lair.

"I'm afraid not," Bumblebee said apologetically, "Bombshell doesn't like organics in his lab, but I promise I won't be long. Stay safe."

With that Bumblebee activated his transparent wings and flew off down the hall. That left Spike alone with Kickback, and when Spike turned to look at him he saw the most crazed looking smile he'd ever seen on the face of a Transformer. It reminded him of a fan that corners their favorite celebrity in a dark alley.

"Finally!" Kickback exclaimed as he swiftly picked Spike up off the ground.

Spike felt dizzy due to how quick the action was, and he soon found himself being pressed against the Insecticon's chest as Kickback ran down the hall! Spike didn't know where they were going, but he was definitely scared now! Was Kickback going to secretly eat him when Bumblebee wasn't looking? Was he going to hurl him off a cliff? Spike didn't know, so he started screaming for all he was worth!

" _AAAHH_! _Help_! _Bumbleb_ -!" Spike hollered before Kickback placed a digit over the boy's mouth; shutting him up instantly.

Kickback's digit hurt the boy's face, Kickback tightened his grip, and Spike feared being squeezed until blood and guts popped out of his body, so he went quiet and hoped that it would be enough to make the bug stop hurting him. Kickback eased up, but didn't stop running until they made it to a room in the shadowed bowels of the ship.

The room was devoid of furniture except for a square slab with bite marks that looked like a partially eaten recharge berth. There were scribbles and drawings all over the walls, and rotting plant life growing from holes in the ceiling. It smelled like someone had spilled oil on the forest floor, only much stronger, and looked like a madman was locked up in here somewhere.

Spike gulped as Kickback entered the room with the human in his hand and then pushed the doors closed. Spike didn't know if it was locked, but he knew he wasn't strong enough to push it open, so he was trapped in the room alone with Kickback. Spike had to think of something to save himself from this nightmare.

"Y-you know, if you eat me t-then Bumblebee will know," Spike stammered in a shaky voice, "He w-won't like it."

"Shh…" Kickback hissed in what seemed to be an attempt to soothe Spike, but it only made this scenario seem even creepier.

Kickback then sat on his battered berth and sat poor Spike down on his lap. Spike curled into himself and waited for the moment when Kickback either ate or killed him. Instead, the Insecticon started running his digits over Spike's head and back while hissing softly to try to calm the boy's nerves.

"Shh...That's right. You're a good little human, aren't you," Kickback cooed softly, and Spike felt goosebumps as Kickback's cold metal fingers touched the exposed skin on his cheek, "Such a nice little flesh creature. Don't be scared. You're the sweetest little human in the whole wide world, yes you are. Yes you are."

Spike finally began to understand what was happening, but it didn't make him feel any better. Kickback was treating him like some kind of pet! He was petting him and talking to him like he was some kind of puppy or kitten! It was insulting, but more than that it was disturbing. The Autobots never treated humans like animals. Was this how Decepticons saw humans? He just hoped Cybertronians didn't neuter their pets.

"Bumblebee picked a good human when he picked you, little Spike. Yes he did! Yes he did!" Kickback said in an almost baby-talk voice as he continued to cuddle with the hapless kid, "Maybe when we get the farm I should pick out my own human to love and nurture."

"Farm?" Spike asked nervously.

"Oh sure, that's what Bombshell went to talk to Bumblebee about," Kickback replied casually, "Soon we'll put you humans to good use on our new farm, and everything will be better for us. When the rest of Cybertron sees how well we Insecticons thrive, then everyone will want to upgrade to Insecticon frames! What do you think is a good name for a human? I'm thinking Bistro. Maybe I'll get one of those humans that has lots of braided hair. Those are funny looking but still so cute!"

"Wait a minute!" Spike exclaimed; outraged, "You mean you want to enslave humans to work on a farm to feed you? That's awful, making us work just so you can stuff your greedy faces!"

"Oh, don't worry Spike, the humans won't be slaves," Kickback said reassuringly, "They'll be livestock. We've developed a supplement that makes humans produce more energy than any other organic matter on the planet! It'll be like refining actual energon, only instead it'll be delicious juicy humans! See? The humans won't have to work. We're just going to eat you! It'll solve the energy crisis, it'll make our frame type desirable, and it'll give humans a greater purpose. Now, I've got an outfit I want you to try on! It's an adorable pink polka-dotted jumpsuit with lots of ruffles! Oh! And a pink bow for your helm!"

Spike was still too shocked to hear that last part. The Insecticons were planning to force humans onto a farm to be fattened up for food? It was horrible! The Autobots had to be warned! Spike's only consolation was that once Bumblebee heard this plan he would understand just how evil the Insecticons were and rescue him. Soon he and his best friend would be back on the Ark, and they would save the world from these vile creatures.

Until then, he would have to endure whatever Kickback had in store for him, which apparently was more humiliation and stupid baby-talk. He _really_ wished he was strong enough to open that door and run.

* * *

Bumblebee just stood and stared at Bombshell in shock. Out of all the horrible plans he had ever heard, this had to be one of the worst. Not even Megatron would resort to eating humans! This was madness!

"Bombshell, you guys can't _do_ _this_ to them!" Bumblebee shouted; desperate to make his teammate see reason, "Humans aren't animals, they're sentient beings, and freedom is the right of all sentient beings!"

"Oh? And what have humans _done_ with that freedom?" Bombshell asked in a rather patronizing tone of voice, "Bumblebee, how much do you _really_ know about these aliens?"

"What do you mean?" Bumblebee asked warily.

"Bumblebee, I want you to see something," Bombshell then pulled out a few tiny (human-sized) books and handed them to the robotic bee.

"What are these?" Bumblebee asked.

"Human history books," Bombshell replied, "I would have just searched the Internet, but Shrapnel informs me that the generator is on the blink. This book is on their most famous war, World War II. This one is a history of genocide over the years. There are several territories and time periods mentioned, and some are quite recent. Humans come in many subspecies, and they often try to destroy each other over the most superficial of reasons. Do you want to know what some call it? _Ethnic cleansing_."

"Cleansing?" Bumblebee asked in confusion.

"Yes, they believe that any subspecies they don't belong to is inherently unclean and must be destroyed," Bombshell replied, a twinge of actual anger seeping into his otherwise professorial tone, "Back when you were a minibot, could you imagine any other Cybertronian trying to kill you because you were a minibot?"

"No," Bumblebee reluctantly replied.

"Now, can you imagine anyone wanting to kill you simply because you are an Insecticon?" Bombshell asked pointedly.

"...Yes, that's exactly what they did..." Bumblebee whispered; his optics dripping cleaning fluid.

"Humans are not evil any more than your friends are evil," Bombshell said in an oddly comforting tone, "The reasons are the same: ignorance. Once the Autobots see how beneficial our frame type is they will be enlightened, and once humans are domesticated they will learn to live together in peace. Their deaths serve no purpose now. Humans have no purpose now. Our farm will give them a reason to live and die. It will also give them a safe place to thrive."

"But you would still be killing them for food!" Bumblebee argued heatedly, "We can't eat humans! It's wrong!"

"I assure you that every precaution has been taken," Bombshell replied; unfazed, "We will give them a diet that focuses on energy production, give them clean well-maintained shelters to live in, and when the time comes for them to be harvested we will terminate them in a humane virtually painless manner. Their quality of life will improve, their deaths will not be traumatizing, and they will serve to end the energy crisis on Cybertron. Humans can save our planet, and we can save theirs. No one is harmed, and everyone benefits. I know how much you care about these creatures, and I assure you that we have thought of everything. Well, Shrapnel and I have. Kickback isn't very skilled with such things so we didn't consult him."

Bumblebee couldn't believe he was actually considering this, but the more he saw in the books and the more Bombshell's words sunk in, the better the idea seemed. The Autobots and Decepticons would go back to Cybertron and probably continue the war, but at least the threat of their species going extinct would be over. Insecticons would be hailed as heroes, and Bumblebee wouldn't have to hide from his own kind anymore. Humans couldn't nuke the planet into oblivion or kill off entire gene pools out of hatred and ignorance. It seemed that the best way to save the human race was to farm it for food.

"I'll have to think about this," Bumblebee finally said, "I still have my doubts that this is a good idea."

"You need to realize that the wheels are already in motion," Bombshell said in a colder tone of voice than he used before, "We have procured a great deal of land for this, we have been building the shelters and safety gates for a while now, and soon we will be ready to collect humans for the operation. You cannot stop us, and if you refuse to assist us then we will be forced to place you in corrective isolation. We don't want to, of course. We love you, and want your help to make the humans as comfortable and happy as possible. That being said, if we feel you are a danger to yourself or others, then we will have to lock you away for your own good. We don't want that to happen, now do we?"

Bumblebee's intakes grew more rapid as he thought about when he was first taken by the Insecticons. He thought about the hunger, the isolation, the beatings, and the harsh words of those that would become his brethren. He didn't want them to think he was bad and deserved to have that happen again. After all, they were trying to help the humans, and they helped him. They were older and wiser than him, and only wanted what was best for him. Yes, he must be wrong to feel apprehensive about this plan. _He_ must be the problem. It couldn't be them.

"Spike doesn't have to go to the farm, does he?" Bumblebee asked in a pleading tone of voice; like that of a small child.

"No, Bumblebee," Bombshell said as he patted Bumblebee's arm, "He's our mascot. He's free to live out his life here with us. Now, there's some linked wire over by the spare limbs. Why don't you start weaving nets for our hunt next week? Maybe your clone could help you?"

"Okay," Bumblebee nodded submissively.

He sat down on the floor and began to form nets to capture humans out of the thin strips of chain mail. The farm might've seemed unsavory, but Bumblebee convinced himself over the next few hours that he was doing the right thing. It wasn't just for his brothers, but it was for Cybertron and for the humans as well. He only hoped Spike and his other human friends understood.


	11. Escalation

_Author's Notes: I know this chapter is short, but it didn't seem to need anything else so I'm publishing it even though it's short. This is the second time this week I've managed to update this particular fic, so I'm happy! I love it when I can update in a timely fashion. I've loved reading the reviews on this fic, and it seems like I'm hitting all the notes I mean to hit with this story. Hopefully that is true of this chapter as well. Thank you for reading, and I hope you review, favorite, and follow :)_

* * *

Chapter 11

Escalation

The atmosphere aboard the Ark was tense. Sunstreaker had managed to pull through and survive his injuries, but he needed time and assistance if he was going to learn how to walk again. His processor had glitched out on him due to the poison, and his twin Sideswipe spent almost every waking moment with his invalid brother teaching him basic skills.

The twins weren't the only ones who had their lives ruined by the Insecticons though. Even as the crew still grieved the loss of Bumblebee, his namesake Insecticon had kidnapped Spike, and Sparkplug was beside himself with grief and worry. The other Autobots had even warned their human friends to stay away from the Ark for fear of another Insecticon raid! This was especially hard on Tracks, Ironhide, and Prowl who all had good friends in Raoul, Carly, and Chip respectively.

Optimus Prime and Prowl both waited anxiously at Teletran 1. They only had one hope left of quickly and permanently dealing with the Insecticons, and now the future of earth was in the servos of none other than Cosmos. They only hoped that Cosmos knew what he was doing.

"Prime," Blaster called out from his station, "Cosmos is sendin' a signal from the stars. You want me to patch him through?"

"Yes Blaster, and hurry," Optimus said in an uncharacteristically strained tone of voice, "Cosmos, can you hear me?"

"Yes Prime, I can hear you," Cosmos replied in his wheedling accent, "The mission was successful. I procured twenty cans of robotic insecticide from Planet Hedhar. If we use satellites and mix the concoction with water, then it should be enough to cover the entire planet and kill every Insecticon."

Optimus sighed in relief behind his facemask, and Prowl allowed himself a small smile.

"Good work, Cosmos," Optimus congratulated his loyal teammate, "Wheeljack will build the satellites, and Omega Supreme will bring them to your location once we have everything you'll need."

"Do you have anything else you'd like to request before Omega Supreme takes off?" Prowl asked.

"No sir, but I would like to know how long this will take in earth time," Cosmos inquired, "Orbiting for long stretches can get pretty boring."

"Don't worry about that, Cosmos," Blaster replied amiably, "I'll blast you some tunes so you have somethin' to listen to until we're ready for you!"

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Cosmos said gratefully, "Do you have any rage metal? It's surprisingly relaxing up here where no other sound can travel."

"There's a lot of sub-genres of metal," Blaster pointed out, "Hey, you like the band Mastodon?"

"It's okay," Cosmos commented, "Just surprise me."

Blaster surprised him alright. He started playing Croatian electronica music, and it took Cosmos a moment to figure out what was going on.

"I know you meant this music as a joke, but this is actually kind of nice," Cosmos remarked as he swayed aimlessly in orbit around the earth, "Um, I should probably sign off now before Prime and Prowl have a spark attack."

"That would be most wise," Prowl replied dryly.

Blaster cut off the transmission so the others couldn't hear Cosmos's loud earth music, and Optimus once again sighed in relief. Optimus didn't mean to wear his emotions on his plating like that, but he _really_ hated Blaster's taste in music.

The mission had gone well so far. Cosmos had their metal-based bug spray, and soon they would have the means to coat the entire planet in the stuff. Every single Insecticon and every Insecticon clone would die, and the earth would be safe. They just hoped it wasn't too late for Spike.

* * *

Spike had spent all day in Kickback's room with that loopy Insecticon cuddling him, dressing him, and even at one point forcing him to dance. Even after the Insecticon left he locked Spike inside the room so he couldn't escape. When night fell Kickback ripped off some vines from the walls and told Spike to sleep on those. The boy didn't know how to get away from this crazy bug, but he had to do something. The Insecticons were going to turn humans into hamburgers, and Bumblebee had to be warned!

When the next morning fell, Spike awoke to see Kickback hovering over him; staring at him with a wide smile on his face plate. Spike didn't think this Insecticon could freak him out more, but apparently he was wrong.

"Um, why are you looking at me like that?" Spike asked as he slowly scooted against the wall to keep the bug in his sights.

"Humans are so cute when they're sleeping!" Kickback gushed as he bent over and picked up Spike, "You were just too precious! All curled up like a caterpillar in a chrysalis! I could just eat you up!"

"Please don't," Spike replied in a flat tone of voice; effectively hiding how nervous he actually was.

"Say, maybe Bumblebee would like to see you in your new jumpsuit!" Kickback said excitedly as he squeezed too tightly on Spike's torso; causing the boy to gasp in pain, "Why don't you get dressed and then we'll go find Bumblebee! Okay, little guy?"

Spike really didn't want his friend to see him humiliated so, but if he did what Kickback said then at least he would be able to talk to Bumblebee and warn him about the farm. Spike sighed in resignation and went to put on the pink frilly frock. He just had to hang on long enough for Bumblebee to come to his senses and get them to safety.

* * *

Bumblebee was outside in front of a small campfire he had made. He was roasting a chicken for Spike to eat just like he'd seen humans do in movies. He only hoped he was cooking it properly. He was still new to this whole burning your fuel before you eat it concept.

Bumblebee turned when he heard a noise, and saw that it was Kickback holding Spike in his servo. Spike himself looked a little uncomfortable, and he was wearing an odd pink and white outfit.

"Hey Bumblebee!" Kickback waved at him before coming over and showing off Spike, "I wanted you to see the new outfit I got for Spike! Isn't it precious?"

"Gee Spike, I didn't know human males dressed like that," Bumblebee commented.

"We don't," Spike replied bluntly.

"What? Oh, Kickback! You can't make humans wear things they don't want to!" Bumblebee scolded Kickback, "Go back and get Spike's regular clothes right now!"

"Why should I?" Kickback challenged.

"Because when humans are dressed against their will they feel violated," Bumblebee explained, "It would be like if someone invaded your firewalls. Even if it was for a benign purpose, you would still be angry they did it without your permission. Now, go get Spike's clothes for him. I'll give him his breakfast."

"Okay..." Kickback replied dejectedly, "Oh, by the way, we might want to build a place for him to use the bathroom. He went under my berth last night."

Spike blushed when he recalled that moment. He had held it for as long as he could, but there was no way out of the room and nothing else he could do.

After Kickback left Bumblebee sat Spike down in front of the fire and showed him the roasted chicken he had cooked for him. Spike was awfully hungry, and even though the chicken looked dry and burnt it still looked good to him. He took a drumstick and bit into it. It was bland, but it wasn't too bad. At least it tasted like food. Spike took nothing for granted living in the swamp with these creepy crawly 'Cons.

"Bumblebee, there's something I've got to tell you," Spike finally said after a few minutes, "I know this will sound crazy, and I'm not even sure you'll believe me, but it's the truth." A deep breath, "Bumblebee, the Insecticons are going to build a farm and use it to raise humans for food."

"I know," Bumblebee replied soberly.

" _What_!? What do you mean _you know_?" Spike exclaimed heatedly, "Then what are we still doing here? We have to warn the Autobots! This has to be stopped!"

"Spike, please try to understand…" Bumblebee said hesitantly, and Spike's eyes went wide with horror when he realized Bumblebee had no intention of helping him, "If I try to stop the Insecticons, then I will be a traitor not only to them, but to my home planet as well. This farm could solve the energy crisis in a nonviolent way, and the humans on the farm would be treated well and be able to live in peace. We have to find a way to save the Cybertronian race, and Insecticon upgrades can do that. We just have to give the people a reason to make such a drastic change. The farm will produce a food source rich in energy that will work as well as energon."

"Bumblebee! Do you _hear_ yourself?" Spike shouted accusingly, "You're talking about eating human beings! Could you ever eat a human being? _Could you_!?"

"Well, um, I...no, I couldn't," Bumblebee answered in a small voice.

" _See_?" Spike replied sharply.

"Spike, I can't afford to be selfish about this," Bumblebee told him as he looked the teenager in the eye with those gleaming red optics, "This is bigger than humanity. This is bigger than me. This is even bigger than Autobots and Decepticons. This is a way to prevent my species from going extinct. You're my best friend, but your life is only going to last for a vorn at most anyway. Humans are capable of so much good, even as you are right now, but your people can save an entire planet by sacrificing their former way of life for the sake of Cybertron. I already made Bombshell promise that you wouldn't have to go to a farm. You'll be safe with me. I promise. Please stay?"

Spike was physically shaking by this point. This was not Bumblebee! This was not his friend! His friend would never sacrifice the human race for anything! Those horrible Insecticons had actually done it! They had turned Bumblebee into a monster!

Bumblebee went to put his hand on Spike's shoulder, but Spike shouted "No!" and swatted Bee's servo away. Spike backed up, his face a mixture of anger, hurt, and fear. Well, if Bumblebee wasn't going to help him then he would have to warn the Autobots himself.

Spike ran out into the marshy forest without looking back at Bumblebee. The poor bug tried to follow Spike, but he wasn't used to the swamp's terrain yet so he got stuck in a tree for a few minutes. By the time he freed himself, Spike was already out of his sight.

Unfortunately, there was another Insecticon who saw everything that had transpired.

/Kickback, this is Bombshell,/ Bombshell said over the comm, /Bumblebee's human is now a liability. He is heading for Demon Swamp. Find him, and kill him./


	12. Chemical Warfare

_Author's Notes: Well, once again I have no idea what I've just done. I suppose this is yet another mixture of horror and humor. That being said, I have a lot of ideas for this story, and I've actually figured out how I want it to end! That won't be for a while yet though. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I'm surprised to say this, but this is my most popular active story. Thank you :)_

* * *

Chapter 12

Chemical Warfare

Spike was in over his head. He had no idea where the nearest town or village was, he was getting bit by mosquitoes and stepping on sludgy uneven ground, and the forest was getting darker due to the sun going down. He had no idea where he was, but there was one bit of good news; he had found a river. If he could just follow the river then he might find a settlement somewhere.

He had to find shelter, and he had to find a phone to call his dad. He needed to get in touch with the Autobots and warn them about the Insecticons' evil plans. The only part he was conflicted about was how much to tell them about Bumblebee. On the one hand they deserved to know their comrade was still alive, but on the other hand he didn't know how to tell them that Bumblebee had switched sides. He wasn't with Megatron, that much was good, but being an Insecticon was almost as bad.

Every time Spike heard a noise he flinched. Every bird, every noise from an animal, and every chirrup from an insect made Spike look around nervously. Would Bumblebee hurt him if he found him? Spike wanted to think that their friendship would protect him, but he just didn't know anymore. He also feared being found by the other Insecticons. They had no qualms about eating him before, and now that he had run away from Bumblebee there was nothing to stop them from consuming him.

Spike sat down on the muddy ground and hoped nothing around him was poisonous or would bite him. He shivered due to his clothes being damp and muddy and his nerves being frayed. He just wanted to be home or at the Autobot base. He missed his dad and he missed the Autobots. He missed his friends and he missed his girlfriend Carly. How was he supposed to find his way home when he was an ocean away?

After Spike had sat there for 10 minutes he heard another sound in the distance. He jumped up in fright, but then berated himself for being so skittish. He sighed to clear his body of the tension, but then suddenly the tree trunks behind him split apart!

Spike screamed when he saw an Insecticon leering down at him with bright red optics and smiling a wicked smile! This definitely wasn't Bumblebee. Spike had trouble seeing in the dark, but after the Insecticon drew closer he saw the thin wings on his shoulders. It was Kickback!

"Finally! Do you know how long it took me to track you?" Kickback scolded Spike as if the boy were purposefully toying with him, "I was going to drown you in the swamp, but I got hungry tracking you down, so I guess I'll have you for a snack…"

"No! Leave me alone!" Spike shouted as he tried to run, but he tripped and Kickback easily plucked him off the ground.

The Insecticon held the boy in his right servo, and used his left to gently grab the boy's right ankle with a thumb and forefinger. Kickback sniffed the boy's leg, and Spike whimpered. Spike screamed as he was dropped on the ground and the Insecticon transformed into grasshopper mode! Spike knew what this meant. The Insecticons could only eat organic matter in bug mode due to their mandibles folding into their back struts in robot mode. Kickback was really going to eat him!

Spike tried one last time to run away, and he managed to get about fifty feet away from the Insecticon, but Kickback flew over to Spike and quickly tackled him to the ground! Kickback was so heavy, and Spike felt like his leg was fractured. He just hoped it wasn't broken. Then again, why would that matter now?

"It's a shame you were such a bad human," Kickback taunted Spike as he leaned in closer to him, "I thought you made a good mascot."

"Kickback, wait!" Spike cried out, already hating himself for what he was about to do, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I ran away. I had a fight with Bumblebee, but, um, it doesn't have to hurt my friendship with you or the other Insecticons. Please forgive me. I'll never run away again. Please don't eat me."

Kickback scuttled off Spike, and the boy took several deep breaths and gingerly sat up. Everything hurt, and he wondered if any of his bones were broken. He dared to look at the metallic grasshopper, and he noticed Kickback watching him with curious optics. Spike shivered again, this time not from cold, and wondered if his ploy would really save him.

"You ran away from Bumblebee?" Kickback asked for clarification.

"Um...yes sir, I admit it. I ran away from Bumblebee," Spike tried to look contrite for his behavior, but the truth was he was only sorry Kickback had caught him.

"Do you not wish to be Bumblebee's pet anymore?" Kickback inquired.

"Well, I, um…" Spike didn't know quite how to answer that one, "What if I don't?"

"Then I have to kill you," Kickback replied matter-of-factly, "Bombshell says you're a liability, and we can't have that. So, are you going to keep trying to get away, or are you going to be a good little squishy and stay where you belong?"

"I'll stay with Bumblebee," Spike replied as he forced himself not to cry from stress, "Please take me back."

Spike couldn't say anything more. His pride hurt even worse than his body. As hard as he tried to escape, and as much as the planet was counting on him to tell the Autobots about the nefarious farm, he just couldn't make it. It was either go crawling back to the Insecticons or be eaten by them. His only hope now was to continue to try to get through to Bumblebee. His friend was still in there somewhere, he was sure of it, and he had to find a way to get through to him.

Kickback turned back into robot mode and scooped up the shaking human. Kickback held Spike close to his spark chamber to keep the boy warm, and flew slowly so the poor kid wouldn't get air sick. Kickback would've eaten the human, but Spike just looked so sad and repentant. The grasshopper was still hungry, so he would probably have to stop for a nibble at some trees before taking Spike home. He wouldn't admit this to Bombshell or Shrapnel, but humans were starting to grow on him, and he was especially fond of his new brother's pet; Spike.

* * *

"Okay Sunny, just a couple more steps…" Sideswipe said encouragingly as he held his arms out on either side of his golden colored twin to keep him from falling.

Sunstreaker gritted his dental plates and struggled to move his right leg in front of him. He had been at this for over a week! Sunstreaker's physical therapy was going well according to Ratchet, but the frontline warrior didn't feel like it was going well. He felt like he had fallen on his beautiful face too many times already and was going to keep falling.

Sure enough, Sunstreaker fell again, and Sideswipe caught him to keep him from going all the way down again. Sunstreaker growled at his own impotence, and Sideswipe could feel his twin's frustration through their spark bond. Realizing that his brother wasn't up to any more exercises, he helped Sunstreaker over to the berth and helped him get settled in.

"I hate this," Sunstreaker said flatly as he looked up at the ceiling, "All this because of a stupid bug bite."

"Actually you were _stung_ , not bitten," Sideswipe corrected him, and then gave a sheepish smile when Sunstreaker glared at him.

Sunstreaker sighed sharply and then went back to staring up at the ceiling. He was stuck in the medbay until he could maneuver on his own, but who knew how long that would be? At least Ratchet wasn't there at the moment, so at least he couldn't witness Sunstreaker's humiliating pratfalls.

"So Sunny, you wanna watch a movie?" Sideswipe suggested, "There's a good earth movie I found about fast cars, a drug bust, and humans interfacing."

"I've seen it," Sunstreaker told him, "Seriously, two fleshies making out on top of a sports car? Sounds like a weird fetish to me. I mean, I think I'd die if two humans just climbed on top of my hood and started swapping spit."

"Yeah, can you imagine if we did that to them?" Sideswipe smirked as he talked about it, "Think about it, two Cybertronians making out on top of a human! I don't think that would end too well."

"Then why do you think the movie is good?" Sunstreaker asked skeptically.

"Because it has fast car chases, explosions, and drug dealers getting the scrap beaten out of them by renegade cops. Here's a fun game, imagine the cop was Prowl and the drug gang members were Decepticons. It gets 10 times funnier that way!"

Sunstreaker laughed despite not finding knowing why it was so funny. He pictured Prowl shooting his gun in some of the weird poses the human action stars would use and it got even funnier. Then he pictured what would happen if energon cubes came in donut shape. He imagined Prowl eating a donut on top of a pile of Decepticons that had just been beaten up, and he laughed loud enough for half the ship to hear!

Just then, Wheeljack came into the medbay and his head fins lit up cheerfully.

"Hey guys, I'm glad to see you're in a good mood today!" Wheeljack greeted them as he started rifling through drawers and cabinets.

"Hey Wheeljack, what are you looking for?" Sideswipe asked.

"Sheet metal that can withstand breaching the earth's atsmosphere," Wheeljack replied as his whole upper body was shoved into a drawer he was digging around in, "I'm making satellites for the Insecticon repellent. Don't worry Sunstreaker, what happened to you will never happen to anyone ever again. Soon the Insecticons will be a thing of the past."

"Yeah?" Sunstreaker asked; only mildly interested, "So how does it work? Why does it work on Insecticons but it doesn't kill us?"

"Because this toxin attacks their internal systems," Wheeljack explained as he walked over to the twins while carrying a fistful of wires, "The Insecticons have delicate wiring and extra equipment designed to contain their matter converter units. When the bug spray hits them it will cause their matter conversion tanks to expand, and their extra wiring to corrode. In a matter of moments the Insecticons will all explode! _Boom_! No more cyber-bug problem!"

"Sounds painful," Sideswipe commented.

"I would say so," Wheeljack nodded.

"It's still too good for them," Sunstreaker said stonily.

"Yeah," Sideswipe agreed; a hard look on his face plate, "Those monsters deserve to slowly fry in battery acid. They should have their limbs ripped off and be dunked in molten metal. I hate those Insecticons, especially the creep that crippled Sunny, and I hope that bug spray takes a _really_ long time to kill them."

"Well, um, you guys look busy," Wheeljack stammered; a little uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going in, "I'll just take these wires and add them to the satellite. Comm me if you find any heat-resistant sheet metal. See you later!"

Wheeljack quickly dashed away with his wires, and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were left alone once again.

"He doesn't understand," Sunstreaker said in what he hoped was a consoling voice.

"None of them do," Sideswipe replied bitterly, "I'm the only one that can actually feel your pain, Sunny. You almost died. I almost _lost_ you. That bug deserves to suffer. Do you know what it did? It tried to act like it was _our_ Bumblebee! That thing tried to use the memory of our friend to save its own miserable life!"

"Yeah well, it won't be around much longer," Sunstreaker replied, forgetting his own pain in favor of comforting his twin, "Cosmos will deploy the insecticide and every Insecticon on the planet will be blown apart. Hey, you think they'll let me keep the stinger?"

"Heh heh, sure thing bro," Sideswipe chuckled half-heartedly, "Hey, it's 17:00 hours. Time for your salve."

"No!" Sunstreaker snapped, "Not again! I'm not putting that slag on my beautiful paint again! It stains!"

"It doesn't stain permanently, Sunny," Sideswipe replied longsufferingly, "Come on, Ratchet said you have to put this on every day at 17:00 hours or the poison particles still in your system will attack you again. Would you rather die of leftover poison or spend a mere few breems with ugly brown gunk on your paint job?"

Sunstreaker didn't reply.

"Sunny!" Sideswipe barked.

"What? I'm thinking," Sunstreaker deadpanned.

"What am I even arguing with you for?" Sideswipe asked rhetorically as he started rubbing the hideous brown goop all over Sunstreaker, "After all, it's not like you can escape. You can't move yet, so I could rub this stuff on your optics if I felt like it."

"You _wouldn't_ …" Sunstreaker growled.

"No, I wouldn't," Sideswipe replied, though there was an impish lilt to his voice, "Why would I cover those lovely blue optics? If I did, then you couldn't see what I'm going to write on your chassis."

" _What_!?" Sunstreaker used his arms to sit up, but got tired and had to slouch back down into a laying position, "Sideswipe, you stay away from me! Sideswipe! I will kill you when I'm able to drive again! _Sideswipe_!"

Sideswipe started using his finger to write a limerick on Sunstreaker's chest, and the golden twin moved from side to side in an effort to thwart his red twin. It did no good though, and Sideswipe managed to write a clumsy poem on Sunstreaker's chassis. Ratchet entered the medbay then, and Sideswipe ran out of there giggling like an idiot. Ratchet turned to Sunstreaker, who was scowling, and looked down at the writing on his chassis.

 _There was a mech with a bad strut,_

 _And a human with a really big butt,_

 _And at night the mech would, fall asleep with his hood,_

 _Exposed and awaiting input._

"Do I even want to know?" Ratchet said dryly.

"No, just wipe this slag off!" Sunstreaker demanded.

"No can do, but I can apply more to cover up that tasteless joke," Ratchet offered.

"Well...Just this once, that sounds like a good idea," Sunstreaker relented.

Sunstreaker continued to look up at the ceiling, but this time it was because he didn't want to look Ratchet in the optic while he was covering over Sideswipe's latest bout of immaturity. Sometimes he wondered if Sideswipe was really his twin. Maybe just this once he could imagine he was adopted…

* * *

Bumblebee looked out at the elaborate setup and wasn't sure what to think of it. There had to be thousands of tiny buildings! The camp, for it looked too barren to be called a farm, must've spanned for mechano-miles! Bombshell was giving him the tour of the facility, and Bumblebee was trying to listen, but part of him was still a little shocked that all of this was real and already here.

"The underground tunnels allow us to feed the humans without risk of introducing them to harmful bacteria," Bombshell stated as he showed Bumblebee a map of the underground feeding tubes, "Each holding pen is designed for comfort as well as convenience. The humans will use very little energy on everyday tasks while producing vast amounts of energy for future Insecticon consumption."

"I saw that to the left there were slightly larger pens," Bumblebee observed, "What are those for?"

"Families," Bombshell replied, "Couples should be allowed to remain together, as well as any sparklings too young to care for themselves. I told you already Bumblebee, we thought of everything."

Bumblebee looked over the pens; square buildings about eight ft. tall and made of steel, and couldn't help but wonder if the humans would actually be happy here. He knew they had to die, but their quality of life before that moment was important to him.

"Now this blue formula over here is what we feed the humans," Bombshell continued as he showed Bumblebee a cube of liquid that looked like window cleaner, "It has been carefully designed to maximize the energy production of human DNA."

"Does it work on anything else?" Bumblebee asked curiously.

"Nothing with enough numbers for it to matter," Bombshell shrugged, "Shrapnel had wanted to use the formula on cows. Honestly that would have been preferable given their large size and docile nature, but the cows exploded when fed this chemical cocktail. There are nearly 8 billion humans on the planet now, and more on the way, so their numbers coupled with their positive reception to the formula make them a perfect food source for this operation."

Bombshell stopped talking when he heard the buzzing sound of Shrapnel's wings as he flew in carrying a large net. It was the first catch of Shrapnel's hunt, and the humans inside would be their first stock. Bumblebee was still nervous about this, especially since he would be expected to capture humans too, but he knew this was for the greater good. Besides, his brothers had gone to a lot of effort to ensure the humans were safe and content while living on the farm.

Bombshell carefully directed Shrapnel to place the net inside a large electrified holding pen. Shrapnel slowly flew down and once the net was secure cut it open so the people inside could get out. Many were frightened and panicking, and it made Bumblebee's spark ache for them. Those people didn't yet realize that their lives were going to get better. All they saw were evil Insecticons.

"Bombshell, separate the humans into singles and groups groups!" Shrapnel ordered, "Bumblebee, help me collect the rest of the nets nets!"

Bumblebee did as he was told and followed Shrapnel, but he still had a few questions for the stag beetle.

"Shrapnel, how many humans did you bring back?" Bumblebee asked.

"An entire village village!" Shrapnel declared proudly, "Probably at least three or four hundred hundred! This group is local, but I have mapped out several more locations locations."

Bombshell, meanwhile, tuned his translator to Balinese so he could address the humans he was about to sort. He approached the electric cage, and the people looked at him with fear and trepidation. They were from a nearby fishing community, so many of them already knew of the Insecticons. The older villagers knew them as the demons of Demon Swamp, and the younger generation knew them as Decepticons.

"Alright little ones, listen carefully and you will not be harmed," Bombshell told them in a firm tone of voice, "Your lives as you knew them are now over. From now on, you live here. You will not be expected to work, and you will not be tortured. Obey us, and you will be rewarded. Disobey, and you will suffer for it. Now, all couples will hold hands so that you may stay together. Everyone else, line up single file for your pen number."

The people scrambled to do as they were told. A few of the children yelled at the giant robot bug, but their parents quickly shushed them for fear of retaliation. Bombshell didn't ask for their names, but he did stamp each one on the hand with a room number. The stamp was temporary. He knew once they were inside the pen there was no way out. He made certain of that.

After a few minutes he made it to a family with two small children. He looked down at them with analytical red optics, and they looked up at him with nervous brown eyes. He stamped the hands of the couple to ensure they would go to the same location, but then he picked up the children to force them further back in line!

"No, wait!" The mother shouted, "Those are my children!"

"Are you nursing them?" Bombshell asked.

"Um, no. They are 5 and 7 years old," The woman replied.

"Then they do not need you anymore," Bombshell replied callously, "They will be taken to separate pens. Move along now, you're holding up the line."

"No, you cannot take my children from me!" The mother screamed vehemently.

"Give them back to us at once!" Added her husband, "I warn you!"

" _You_ warn _me_?" Bombshell asked patronizingly, "That is amusing. Oh, one more thing I should mention. Along with the standard blue liquid, all couple's pens have green liquid pumped into them as well. Only the females should drink this. It is deadly to the males of your species, but essential for females to get the nutrition they need to survive here. Remember, only females must drink the green liquid. Now, back to pen assignments."

What Bombshell didn't tell the humans was the true purpose of the green formula. It was a powerful fertility drug designed to not only make human women get pregnant more easily, but also reduce gestation from 9 months to 3 months and force the offspring to grow up twice as fast. By 10 years old each new child would be an adult ready for slaughter and consumption.

Bombshell looked out at what he and his brothers had made and smiled behind his face mask. He so loved tampering with the bodies and minds of other living things. It was a feeling of power that he doubted even Megatron could fully appreciate. Soon the entire planet would be converted into a human processing facility. Of course, they would have to kill off the Autobots and Decepticons on the planet first...


	13. New Recruits

_Author's Notes: There is so much I want to say, but I think I'll start with "Oops!". I didn't mean to take so long with posting this new chapter. I've just had so many ideas, old and new, running through my head. This idea is still very much active though so don't worry about that. I have the entire story mapped out and will be able to complete it so long as I don't die first. Anyway, this chapter introduces new Insecticon characters, but they are not OCs. These are the Insecticons from the G1 toy line that never made it to the cartoon. Their character bios gave me a little to go on for their personalities, and I'll just have to fill in whatever gaps there may be. Also, today my cat had a kitten! Yay! We named the new kitten Nightshade, and so far it seems to be healthy. I know having only one kitten is unusual, but that's what happened. Anyway, I'm happy, and I hope you are too! Enjoy this new chapter of Join Us :)_

* * *

Chapter 13

New Recruits

When Kickback returned to the base with Spike, he held the human carefully in his servos and snuck around the ship until he made it back to his berth room. Spike was in intense pain, and that feeling was compounded with the fear that Kickback would go back on his word and kill him despite everything he had said.

"Where's Bumblebee?" Spike asked once he was locked in the room with Kickback.

" _Shh_!" Kickback hissed sharply, "You have to be quiet," The grasshopper whispered.

"Why?" Spike whispered back; growing more nervous by the second.

"Because Bombshell ordered me to kill you," Kickback explained conspiratorially, "Nobody can know you're here. Not Shrapnel, not Bombshell, not even Bumblebee. No one."

"Bumblebee can keep a secret," Spike tried to convince Kickback.

"No, he can't know yet!" Kickback insisted, "Besides, he isn't home. He spends most of his time working on the farm now, and I should be doing the same."

"The farm?" Spike gulped, "That's...that's already up and running?"

"Yep," Kickback replied proudly, "Soon we'll be ready to process humans into energy. Listen to me though, Bombshell cannot know I spared you. The good news is that all humans look alike to him, so I'll just tell him I found you and you're my pet now. You back me up on this and we'll be just fine. Now, I need to think of a new name for you..."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just let me go?" Spike asked, though he knew it was a long shot.

Kickback snorted when he saw the pitiful condition Spike was in. There was no way he could escape! This human had nerve though, he'd give him that much.

"Okay Spike, you really wanna be set free?" Kickback asked in an amused tone of voice.

"Yes," Spike replied firmly.

"Alright then," Kickback crossed his arms over his chassis and assumed a challenging stance, "If you can walk from my berth to the front door without falling over, then I'll set you free."

Kickback then set Spike down on the floor, and Spike struggled to remain standing. His leg felt like it was going to break in half! His shoulders hurt, his leg was broken, and his left arm wasn't in much better shape. He took a step, screamed, and then had to deal with Kickback covering his mouth to make him be silent. Spike tried to walk again, but then he fell over on his face! Kickback laughed at the boy's futile attempts, and Spike groaned in frustration.

"Okay slick, if you're done trying to be a hero, I've got something to show you," Kickback said as he gently scooped the boy up again.

Spike whimpered softly as he bit back screams of pain. Even being moved hurt him, and now he was afraid he damaged something permanently by trying to walk on his bad leg. Why did he let this stupid bug get his hopes up? Was this what it felt like to be Bumblebee? To be promised relief only to suffer more? He still couldn't help but wonder what the Insecticons did to Bumblebee to turn him into a completely different mech.

Kickback stopped in the far corner of the room and showed him a dark green building that looked like a cross between a shed and an outhouse. The Insecticon pulled back the roof and gingerly set Spike inside. He left the roof off for a moment, and Spike looked around to see that there were no doors or windows on the building at all. Just a toilet, a sink with a small cube beside it, and a mat for sleeping.

"This is your new home, little guy!" Kickback announced in a chipper tone of voice as he looked down at the bewildered human, "It's the same kind they use on the farm. I haven't added anything special yet, but if you want something customized I'll see what I can do. For names I was thinking I'd call you...Boots. Because you always wear those funny yellow boots."

"I see there's carpet in here," Spike noted, "Interesting touch."

"Softer floors mean less energy is used up heating your bodies," Kickback explained, "Everything about the pen is designed so humans use practically no energy on themselves, meaning there will be lots of energy for food when the time comes."

Spike winced. He hated it when Kickback talked about eating people. He knew it wasn't cannibalism since they weren't humans, but somehow one sentient race eating another had a cannibal feel to Spike, and he didn't know how they could be okay with this. He didn't know how _Bumblebee_ could be okay with this.

"Well, I've gotta hop back to work!" Kickback exclaimed jovially as he took one last look at Spike before he left, "I'll bring you back something special when I get back. Goodnight, little Boots."

"Um, goodnight, Kickback," Spike stammered as the roof closed over him; leaving him in darkness.

Spike felt weird being alone in this tiny enclosed room. It was at least as small as a prison cell, maybe even a walk-in closet. Spike barely had to take two steps in any direction to get to everything in the pen. He didn't want to be here, and he definitely didn't want to spend the rest of his life being called _Boots_ and being a pet for a man-eating robot bug.

With nothing else to do for the moment, Spike settled into the mat and tried to sleep. He could at least breathe easy knowing he was safe for a moment. Apparently the Insecticons were all too busy with this farm thing to worry too much about him. He had no way to contact the Autobots or his dad, so he just hoped they figured out on their own that something was happening here.

Spike was fine in his little room, until he thought about Bumblebee. His best friend was no longer an Autobot, and he was working with Decepticons to enslave and eat the human race. Spike had been shocked when he first learned about it, but now that he was alone in the dark and had nothing but time to really think about it…

Spike cried into the cloth of his mat, and didn't stop crying until he was asleep. His best friend was now a monster, and he didn't know if there was anything he could do to change it.

* * *

Bumblebee was sifting the dead bugs and plant matter out of the open formula tank when Kickback showed up. He was happy to see the grasshopper. Bombshell and Shrapnel weren't too bad to work with, but Kickback seemed like the only one that understood Bumblebee's youthful outlook on life. He was like a big brother to the newest Insecticon.

"Hey Kickback, everything's running smoothly," Bumblebee reported, "Shrapnel says he wants you working in the processing center."

"Now?" Kickback asked, surprised, "I don't think we have any ready stock now."

"Ready stock?" Bumblebee asked for clarification.

"Yeah, the processing center is just a nice word for slaughterhouse," Kickback told him, "It's too soon for it to be running. I guess I have to clean it or something. I'll ask Shrapnel."

"Oh," Bumblebee winced; still a little squeamish about the idea of a slaughterhouse for humans, "Bombshell says there's going to be important guests coming today. Do you know anything about that?"

"Oh, yeah!" Kickback chirped, "That's the new crew of Cybertronians coming for their upgrades! Four new mechs are coming to be transformed into Insecticons! Soon there will be lots of Insecticons all over the galaxy! I'll tell you Bumblebee, we're really making progress, and we couldn't have done it without your help!"

"Oh, sure you could," Bumblebee replied modestly, "What kind of Insecticons do you think they'll want to be?"

"I don't know, but I was in charge of designing the catalogue," Kickback bragged, "I wasn't sure whether or not to include a caterpillar frame type. I'm sure it could be useful, but I don't know if anybody wants to be modeled after a butterfly sparkling. I also included different types of arachnids since they have such versatility."

"Good call," Bumblebee nodded, "I guess I'll see you after work."

"Oh, you'll want to stop by my room!" Kickback suddenly exclaimed, "I want to show you my new pet. Trust me, you'll want to see him."

Bumblebee could tell from the tone Kickback was using that he was trying to hint at something, but Bumblebee couldn't tell what. Kickback flew away in insect mode, and Bumblebee just shrugged and went back to work.

* * *

Later that day, Bumblebee and Bombshell were there to greet the ship as it landed just outside their headquarters in a small clearing they had made by Demon Swamp just for the occasion. Shrapnel and Kickback had stayed behind to look after the farm, but at that moment Bumblebee almost wished he had stayed behind too. This ship was a small Decepticon cruiser, and it was armed to the teeth!

" _Decepticons_?" Bumblebee asked Bombshell accusingly, "You're inviting _Decepticons_ here? You're not working with Megatron on this, are you?"

"Not at all," Bombshell replied, "Do not think of them as Decepticons, Bumblebee. Think of them as enlightened beings seeking a better way of life."

Bumblebee was highly skeptical, but he didn't really have an argument against this. Besides, he knew behind the calm soothing voice Bombshell could actually be quite vindictive. Between him and Shrapnel, Bumblebee still didn't entirely feel comfortable voicing his opinion.

The ship landed a few meters in front of the Insecticons, and four large Decepticon soldiers lumbered out. Their leader was a spiky green and caramel colored mech with a harsh expression on his face plate and wary red optics. The other three were varying shades of brown, and none looked friendly.

"Which one of you is the leader of this group called the Insecticons?" The Decepticon commander demanded to know.

"Our ranks are rather loosely defined," Bombshell replied diplomatically, "However, I can speak for the group at the moment. I am Bombshell, and this is my associate Bumblebee. What is your designation, brother?"

"I am Venom, and I am _not_ your brother!" Venom spat in contempt, "The only reason I agreed to this meeting is because my mechs and I have been left to starve. Megatron has abandoned us, therefore we abandon him."

"That's a nice mask you got there," one of the mechs said to Bombshell, "Is it detachable?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Bombshell replied, "I only eat in insect mode, and when you are upgraded you will have the same restrictions."

"Oh, don't mind Chop Shop," one of the other troops said dismissively, "He's always looking for stuff to steal. Honestly I think the Combaticons would be jealous of the weapons Chop Shop has managed to get for us."

"So, who are your other troops, if I may ask?" Bombshell asked Venom.

"This here's Barrage, and that's his brother Ransack," Venom pointed to each mech as he spoke their names, "Don't let them get near anything important, they have a tendency to destroy everything they touch. Especially Barrage. This guy gets us into so much trouble that I've track of the times we nearly got ourselves offlined just by having him around. So, what kind of bodies can we expect?"

"Yeah, do we have to have the same ugly colors as you?" Ransack asked rudely,

"Not at all," Bombshell replied without malice, "You may keep your original colors."

"So, this new food source...What is it, exactly?" Barrage asked with uncontainable excitement.

"As Insecticons you may eat any form of matter to extract a small amount of energy," Bombshell explained, "It kept my brothers and I alive for deca-vorns. That being said, we are currently in the process of raising a form of energy-producing livestock that will practically make energon obsolete. You may move anywhere you want on or off planet, and we will give you a few humans per week for energy free of charge. You may not, however, know the location of our farm. My brothers and I have built it from the ground up and will not have our work tarnished. I do hope you understand."

"It's free?" Chop Shop asked eagerly.

"You're not trying to poison us, are you?" Venom asked suspiciously.

"Not at all," Bombshell smiled with his optics, "Go into our hideout for a few moments to recharge and refuel. Bumblebee and I will be with you in a moment to guide you through the catalogue. We just need to look over your paperwork first."

Venom nodded curtly and ordered his troops to follow him. Bumblebee watched as the four Decepticons made their way inside his home. He had said nothing during the entire conversation. He just couldn't bring himself to talk to these mechs. They were Decepticons, and the Autobot inside Bumblebee said _don't trust them_.

"You don't trust them, do you?" Bombshell guessed, and Bumblebee looked at him as if the bug had just read his mind, "I understand. I don't trust them either. However, the point of this endeavor is to make more Insecticons. We cannot afford to be picky as of yet. Don't fret though little one, they are not our brothers. We chose you because you are a good and trustworthy mech. You are not like those Neanderthals."

"What if they try to destroy earth?" Bumblebee asked worriedly, "That ship looks more powerful than anything we have in our arsenal. Not to mention these guys are huge!"

"Fear not, Bumblebee. I plan for _everything_ ," Bombshell said with a wicked edge to his voice as he smiled at his teammate.

Bumblebee didn't know what Bombshell meant by that exactly, but he knew the boll weevil well enough to know that if the new mechs double crossed the Insecticons Bombshell would make their lives unbearable.

* * *

It had taken some convincing, but Kickback had finally gotten Shrapnel to trade jobs with him for the rest of the day. Kickback hated cleaning duty and Shrapnel hated to hear his little brother whine, so Shrapnel allowed Kickback the job of sorting the humans into single and family pens.

Kickback normally didn't like bureaucratic work, but he had a reason for sorting the humans today. He looked over each one, and noticed they looked different than the last group brought in. They looked, to put it bluntly, fatter.

/Hey Shrapnel,/ Kickback comm'ed Shrapnel, /Where did these humans come from?/

/North and Central America according to the map map,/ Shrapnel replied, /The humans on these islands are too skinny skinny. Not enough room for energy energy./

/Oh, okay,/ Kickback shrugged even though Shrapnel couldn't see him from the processing center at the top of the hill, /Thanks./

Kickback then went back to sorting the humans out. He had been at it for hours, and frankly he was starting to get tired of listening to the livestock complain.

"Okay let's see...Human couples in the big pens, single humans in the small pens. Sparklings are to be left alone unless they are nursing," Kickback muttered to himself as he tried to remember the instructions. Three times already he had gotten it wrong. He kept forgetting to separate the children from their parents. Mostly because he didn't like hearing the parents and children crying out for each other. It was loud and a little sad.

Kickback saw that his next human was a large pale woman with yellow hair. He liked the yellow-haired ones, but this one seemed exhausted already. She couldn't be penned soon enough in his opinion.

"Hold out your wrist for your pen number," Kickback ordered without inflection; having done this hundreds of times already.

"Please, let me go! I haven't done anything!" The woman pleaded.

"We hear it all the time, sweet spark," Kickback replied unsympathetically, "By the way, were you employed in your previous life?"

" _Previous_?" The woman balked, though her tone was laced with dread.

" _Well_?" Kickback impatiently snapped; unwilling to suffer hesitation.

"I sold things online," The woman finally replied; uncertain about what that answer would mean for her.

"Alright then, give me your hand," Kickback ordered, and reluctantly the woman agreed.

Kickback then stamped her hand, flew her over to her pen, and flew back to the herd of frightened and confused humans.

"Next!" Kickback shouted as he once again readied his stamp.

An elderly man with dark skin and white hair shambled forth. Kickback almost wanted to pick the guy up and move him since he was walking so slowly.

"Hold out your wrist for your pen number," Kickback ordered without enthusiasm.

"Yes sir," The man complied without protest, "Um, why are the Decepticons taking all of us? Are we being taken to Cybertron?"

"No," Kickback replied, "So, were you employed in your previous life?"

"Yes, I was a family physician," The old man replied, and then asked "What exactly is going to happen to us?"

Kickback didn't hear his last question. All he heard was the word _physician_. He had been searching all day for a human with that skill! He was worried about Spike back at the base, and he wanted the boy to be looked at by someone who knew human anatomy. This guy was just what he needed!

"Put your arm down!" Kickback abruptly ordered the compliant old man.

"Why?" The man asked; startled by Kickback's sudden change in demeanor.

"Because you're not staying here," Kickback declared, "I'm gonna take you home with me!"

"Oh, dear…" The man sighed with resignation.

Kickback flew away with the old man, leaving the rest of the humans standing in line and wondering what the heck just happened. It would be two hours before Shrapnel realized Kickback had taken off and left the humans alone. He wouldn't be surprised if a few of them had escaped while Kickback was gone.


	14. Final Reward

_Author's Notes: Hey guys! Sorry I've been absent for a while, but I've been busy trying to get my book "The Legend of Yan-Kan Mar" distributed by more online book retailers. I've finally done it, and now the ebook version can be bought on ITunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others. I also changed my pen name to Madness Jones so people will stop confusing me for that author in Nebraska. Honestly, I think Madness Jones has a better ring to it anyway, and will look better when my next book comes out in a few months. So, anyway, sorry about the long rambling Author's Note, thank you for reading "Join Us", and please feel free to leave a review since I love hearing from you guys :)_

* * *

Chapter 14

Final Reward

Carly felt sick. It seemed to be the only feeling she had left inside of her. The Insecticons came for her and the rest of her town two, maybe three weeks ago. She lost track of time since her captivity, and now all that seemed to exist were the four tiny walls she was trapped within.

She still remembered them coming in the dead of night and taking her and many other college students away from their dorms. They had been pressed together in a net and flown over the ocean for hours. The wind chapped her skin, and the net caused rope burns. She was sure she and the other people smashed against her wouldn't survive the trip. She did survive though, and was forced into a small pen and left alone.

She hadn't even had a chance to contact the Autobots. She was sure they would notice she was missing, especially Ironhide, and then they would come and save the people. Save them from _what_ though, she still wasn't sure. She hadn't seen the Insecticons or another person since being brought to the pen. The isolation was oppressive and she feared she was losing her mind.

There was nothing to do in the pen except sit, think, and drink that vile substance that came out of the tap. It was blue and tasted like new car smell. It was the most artificial and disgusting stuff Carly had ever had to swallow, and for a while she refused to have anything to do with it. Eventually though she realized that there was no other source of food or water. If she wanted to live, she had to drink the chemical concoction, and despite everything she _did_ still want to live.

Over time she realized that her skin had turned a glowing light blue, and she became sicker and sicker. She could barely stand on her own, and the only sounds that escaped were light moans of discomfort. She wondered if this was some sort of ironic punishment from the Insecticons. Poison humans because they poison bugs. It was the only reason she could think of for such an elaborate and painful death. At least, she thought death was the point. She wasn't sure about anything anymore.

She tried to comfort herself with thoughts of the past. She remembered going home to see her parents over spring break and baking cookies with her mom. She played tag football with her dad and brothers just like when she was younger. She also thought about hanging out with the Autobots, and the last movie she and Spike saw together. Carly couldn't even remember what the movie was about, but she recalled with perfect clarity snuggling up close to Spike and feeling his strong protective arm resting comfortably on her shoulders.

She heard a light pinging noise from a small monitor near the ceiling. She didn't know what it meant and she didn't have any willpower left to care. For all she knew it was a smoke alarm telling her the whole place was on fire. Some small part of her hoped it was a proximity alarm warning that the Autobots were coming. Despite everything she still held out that thin hope that they would come for her and whoever else was still trapped here by the Insecticons.

The ceiling opened up for the first time since she had been placed in this pit, and she blearily looked up to see Shrapnel peering down at her; his expression strangely placid and happy.

"Human, you have done very well well," Shrapnel congratulated her, but she didn't know why, "You have obeyed us and have endured your captivity captivity. Now it is time for your reward reward."

Carly didn't know what he meant by reward, but she was sure it would be anything but. She didn't know if the Insecticons were acting on their own or if Megatron had some hand in this, but either way she knew bad things were about to happen. She could tell from the eager way Shrapnel looked down at her.

Carly groaned in pain as Shrapnel scooped her up in his hand and walked away with her. She felt every step he took and wished she could just throw up. Whatever was inside of her needed to be out, but she hadn't even needed to use the toilet in weeks. She had trouble even producing saliva. It was as if her entire body had locked up and nothing inside of her could escape.

Shrapnel finally had enough clearance to fly away, Carly still in his grasp, and he made his way to a large building on top of the hill. Carly didn't know what the building was for, but she was sure it wasn't for anything good.

They made it to two large double doors, and when Shrapnel opened them Carly could see the room beyond was dark and very large. She wondered vaguely why they didn't have the majority of the lights on.

Shrapnel set her down on the cold steel floor, and Carly could feel rust mixed with a sticky liquid that upon closer inspection seemed to be a thicker version of the stuff they fed her. It was blue, but it didn't glow. She sniffed it, and it smelled like blood. She shuddered; wondering if that actually _was_ blood.

"Kickback, get over here here!" Shrapnel called out into the darkness, "We have another ripe one ready for its _reward_ reward."

"W-wait!" Carly tried to speak, but found her voice was garbled from lack of use, "You mustn't...w-what are you...doing?"

Kickback's buzzing wings were heard long before he emerged from the shadows. He looked down at the glowing human femme and smiled. This was the hundredth one this week that had filled to capacity with energy. Well, possibly a hundred. He lost count after 74.

"Close your optics, sweet spark," Kickback instructed as he drew closer, "This will only take a second."

"No!" Carly managed to shout, "L-leave me alone!"

She heard Shrapnel _tsk_ in the background, and saw Kickback's hand reaching over to cover her face. His thumb pressed down against her to hold her in place, and she struggled to get away from the monster bug, but it was no use. She was simply too weakened to fight back. She felt a sharp pain to the back of her head, and then-.

"This one's dead, Shrapnel," Kickback announced after crushing Carly's skull.

"Good. Put the body on the assembly line line," Shrapnel instructed, "With our current progress we should have 500 fully processed human cubes by the end of the orn orn."

"Next time bring me two humans," Kickback requested, "It's easier than taking them out one at a time."

"Very well well. I'll check the monitors to see if any more humans are ripe ripe," Shrapnel replied as he went about his business.

Carly's still glowing body was processed into cube form to make it more palatable for whichever Insecticon would eat it later. There was no fanfare, and she was neither the first nor the last one to die that day.

* * *

Bumblebee had the day off to recover after a pipe broke at the farm and tore some of the cables in his shoulder. He didn't want to be away from work. He didn't like his job, but he didn't feel comfortable at home either. The Insecticon base didn't feel like home ever since those new Insecticons moved in.

Venom, the former Decepticon ship captain, had chosen a cicada for his alt mode. It was strange considering he had a sigma ability that allowed him to produce toxic acid, and yet he refused to pick an alt mode that looked naturally poisonous. Bumblebee was sure he would pick a spider or something. Then again, at least the Decepticons got a choice, unlike Bumblebee.

Barrage had picked a rhinoceros beetle, which was very pleasing to Bombshell. Bombshell had almost picked that alt mode himself, but for some reason felt a kinship with the boll weevil. Bumblebee felt like there was a story there, but he never asked.

Ransack became a grasshopper like Kickback, and Chop Shop became a stag beetle like Shrapnel. It seemed like those two were trying to get on the good side of the Insecticons by mirroring their tastes. Bumblebee could tell though that for some reason the new Insecticons didn't like him, but he didn't know why.

Barrage and Ransack were in the common room trying to make an old TV Chop Shop stole from a nearby town work for them. They were so bored with nothing to destroy and hoped the humans had left their diversions intact despite the crisis of being turned into the next Cybertronian food product. It was a well-known fact to Decepticons that when a species loses all hope they turn to hedonism and entertainment to make the pain go away.

"Hey, stop it right there!" Barrage ordered, "It's a show about storms!"

"You idiot, that's just static!" Ransack pointed out as snow interfered with the TV reception, "Oh, hey wait! I think I found _another_ source of amusement."

Ransack pointed out Bumblebee, who was languidly walking into the room and staring at nothing. Barrage grinned wickedly at the implication. Harassing this little bug should prove to be quite enjoyable, if their guess was correct.

Barrage went up to Bumblebee and pushed him hard on the chassis, and the smaller Insecticon fell down. Barrage laughed cruelly, but Bumblebee didn't get up or fight back.

"What's the matter with you, Bumbleslag?" Barrage growled, "Oh, I get it! This is that Autobot pacifism I've heard so much about! Yeah, I know not all Autobots are cut out to be fighters, but if you don't punch me right now I'll blow your processor to the matrix! Now, fight me maggot!"

Bumblebee stared up at him, but didn't move or even grunt. Barrage was getting angry at being denied his fun fight by the little Autobot traitor, so he took out his gun and blew the smaller 'Bots head off!

Ransack and Barrage laughed as the body went grey in its death throes, but their giddiness was short lived when a familiar voice yelled "Hey! What did you jerks do to my clone!?"

Bumblebee stood in the doorway looking at them in shock before his mournful gaze moved down at his clone. He had trained the little thing for weeks, and now it was gone.

"Oh, that was your clone?" Ransack asked mockingly.

"So _sorry_ , Bumblebee," Barrage added insincerely, "I thought it was _you_!"

The two larger Insecticons began to laugh again, and Bumblebee clenched his fists before losing all control and injecting Ransack with his stinger! Ransack fell and groaned in pain, and Bumblebee gasped at what he had just done; already regretting harming the Insecticon like that as Ransack passed out and started twitching from the poison entering his body.

"Why you good for nothing little…!" Barrage shouted, and when he couldn't think of anything else to say he settled for grabbing Bumblebee by the scruff bar and lifting him off the ground to face him, "You're gonna regret what you just did to my brother."

"And _you_ will regret threatening mine," Bombshell said from the shadows in an eerily calm tone of voice.

Bombshell then shot out a cerebro shell, which hit Barrage's back and forced him to stand at attention; awaiting orders from his new master. Bumblebee fell to the ground hard, and then heaved a few intakes of air as he tried to collect himself. He saw Bombshell walking over to the scene, and had never been so happy to see his boll weevil brother.

"Bombshell! Ransack is hurt!" Bumblebee immediately told him, "I'm sorry I stung him, Bombshell. Please, he needs medical attention!"

"Of course, Bumblebee," Bombshell nodded as he squeezed Bumblebee's arm reassuringly, "Barrage, I want you to take Ransack to the medbay so I can repair him. After that I want you to fill a bucket with corrosive acid and dip your servos into it repeatedly until I tell you to stop. Go."

As Barrage left with Ransack in his arms and went off to mindlessly obey Bombshell's commands, Bumblebee looked up at his Insecticon brother with wariness. Bombshell smiled down at him from behind his face mask before leaving to follow the others.

Bumblebee shuddered when he thought about what Barrage would endure. He remembered the cerebro shell. Feeling every experience yet being powerless to stop yourself from obeying Bombshell's sadistic commands. Bumblebee was fearful of Bombshell, even now. If he could do such a terrible thing to one mech, then he could do it to any mech...even Bumblebee.


	15. I Was Once A Mech

_Author's Notes: I know it took me a while to get this chapter out, but I've had a lot of fics to work on. You guys really seem to like this one though, so I'll continue to work on it until it's finished! This chapter is one I was looking forward to writing, and I hope it came out as well here as it did in my head, so to speak. Please review, since I love to hear from you guys, and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Join Us :)_

* * *

Chapter 15

I Was Once A Mech

It had been five weeks since Spike had been forced to stay with the Insecticons. In most of that time he had been Kickback's pet and had seen things he could never unsee. At this point Kickback still had not allowed him to leave the room or have any contact with Bumblebee.

The worst thing that happened was shortly after Spike had gotten hurt. Kickback had brought back an old black man that turned out to be a doctor, and had instructed the physician to treat Spike's injuries. The doctor (Spike never learned his name) had informed Kickback that Spike had several hairline fractures along the left ankle, left tibia, and had broken his left arm.

Kickback had ordered the doctor to fix those problems so Spike could move around freely again. The Insecticon expected human healing to be as quick as Cybertronian repairs. The doctor informed Kickback that only time could fully heal Spike.

That was not the answer Kickback wanted, and the old man paid for it with his life.

Sometimes Spike would see the image clear in his mind...the memory of Kickback swallowing that man whole. He could still hear the screams. He could still see the anger in Kickback's face quickly being replaced with tranquility once the offending doctor was gone. He could still hear the crunching noises, and it made him sick.

"Boots," Kickback called into the room, forcing Spike out of his dreadful flashbacks, "How are you feeling this morning, little guy?"

"I'm fine, Kickback," Spike lied, "What's for breakfast?"

"Fruit again," Kickback replied as he pulled some tropical fruits out of his subspace, "I know you're probably sick of fruit, but I don't want to smuggle too many human foods around. The others might get suspicious, and I'm pretty sure Venom and his group would have no problems with hurting you."

"How many new Insecticons are there again?" Spike asked nervously.

"Only four, but we're hoping that soon others will join us," Kickback replied, "Venom took his troops to Cybertron for supplies today. Everyone else is working on the farm, so you and I have the whole place to ourselves. After you eat maybe I'll let you have some free roaming time. If you're good, that is."

"Thank you, Kickback," Spike said with what he hoped didn't look like a fake smile, "You're the best."

Spike felt like his tongue had licked something dirty after saying that to Kickback, but he had been waiting for this opportunity for too long to allow his pride to make him mess this up. If he could get to their computer system, then Spike could finally call the Autobots for help. He just had to be alone with their computer for a few minutes and this nightmare could be over.

Kickback watched his human eat the fruit; his optics lighting up with joy at the sight. Little Boots was a spirited human, and sometimes he tried to defy Kickback, but the grasshopper was still happy to have found him. At first he was going to tell Bumblebee about Spike still being there, but after a while he realized that this was the first pet he had ever owned and he didn't want Bumblebee to take him away. He had grown to look forward to the time he would spend with his human. It was nice to see one that was lively after being around glowing listless food stock every work cycles.

It was a few minutes later when Kickback took Spike into the main common room of the ship. It was even more dilapidated than Spike remembered. It looked like several pieces of furniture had been eaten, there was blue goop all over the floors and walls, and there were also several burn marks along the walls and even the ceiling! The only thing that was still intact was their computer network.

"Hey Kickback, can you show me something on the computer?" Spike asked; hoping to trick the Insecticon, "I haven't seen TV in weeks and I'm bored. Please?"

"Only if you promise not to fall off the edge," Kickback admonished before carrying Spike over and sitting him down on the edge of the keyboard.

Spike wondered what Kickback would show him. He would have to give the Insecticon a few minutes to build trust with him before enacting the second phase of his plan. Spike could feel himself getting closer to a resolution to this problem. He just hoped the Insecticon didn't drive him crazy first.

"Let's see…" Kickback muttered as he scanned the different storage files in the database, "Most of this stuff is pretty technical. It's mostly Bombshell's medical files and Shrapnel's upgrade charts. Oh, here's an interesting one! _Family Memories_! It's a slideshow of Bumblebee's transition period. Would you like to see it, Boots?"

Spike wasn't sure he really wanted to know what was in that file, but his curiosity outweighed his apprehension, so he nodded his head for Kickback to bring up the file.

Looking at the slideshow was a mistake. The first photo was of Bumblebee back when he still had his armor. His face looked terrified and he was frozen in place in the middle of the room with Insecticons surrounding him. The second photo was of Bumblebee missing most of his plating. It was obvious why, since Shrapnel was in the photo eating one of Bumblebee's arm guards. The third showed Bombshell proudly holding up Bumblebee's old face plate while Bumblebee lied on the floor in the background with barely any armor left at all.

There were several photos all showing Bumblebee in different states of disrepair. Spike knew something had to have happened, but this was even worse than he thought. Those metallic savages had eaten Bumblebee piece by piece and made him watch himself be consumed!

"There are a couple videos as well. Wanna see them?" Kickback asked in an oblivious carefree tone.

Spike gulped, and he considered saying _no_. Then again, how was he going to understand why Bumblebee was acting this way unless he knew exactly what had happened to him? Spike took a deep breath, let it out, and then nodded for Kickback to continue.

The first video reminded Spike of something one would see in a crime documentary. The camera angle was even the same as they were during police interrogation tapes with the lense looking down at the room from the ceiling. The entire video consisted of Bumblebee in his prison cell being attacked by Shrapnel as the bug hurled anti-Autobot slurs at the helpless minibot and tore into sensitive wires and circuits. Spike could see and hear everything, including Bumblebee's whimpers and pleas, and he felt tears fall down his cheek when he saw his best friend being abused by that good-for-nothing cockroach.

The second video was taken in the medbay. Shrapnel and Bombshell were in the room, and Bumblebee was strapped to a table unconscious. Kickback could be heard in the background, so it was obvious that he was the one holding the camera. This video was different from all of the other things Spike had seen because the tone was completely different. It seemed less like crime scene evidence and more like home movies. The Insecticons sounded happy as they chattered about Bumblebee's new upgrade. Somehow Spike found this to be the most disgusting footage of all.

"Um, Kickback? I left a bottle of water in my pen," Spike said quietly; still disturbed by the files, "Could you please go get it for me? I promise I won't leave this spot."

Kickback thought about it for a minute, but then decided that there was nowhere for Boots to run, so he allowed the boy to stay perched on the keyboard while he left to get the water for him.

The plan had worked perfectly! Kickback was gone, and Spike had a minute to call the Autobots and tell them about the farm and about his own kidnapping. He just hoped they would get there before anyone else was killed. He also hoped they could convince Bumblebee about how wrong all of this was. He didn't want this tragedy to be compounded by Bumblebee's death.

* * *

Back at the Ark, Hound had monitor duty for the day cycle. Normally he would be outside on patrol, but for the past 5 orns he had been volunteering for indoor duties. He didn't want to be outside. Outside was his happy place, and with everything that had happened he didn't want to be happy.

It had been nearly 2 months since Spike was captured by the Insecticons. Ever since then reports had popped up all over the world that entire groups of people were going missing. At first the Autobots thought it was an earth phenomenon, but eventually a survivor interviewed on the news reported that giant metal bugs had captured his entire apartment complex and almost got him. That was when they knew. This was the work of the Insecticons.

Wheeljack had built most of the satellites, and Cosmos was still off-world searching for enough Cybertronian bug spray to coat the entire planet's atmosphere. They could have finished the project sooner, but Megatron's forces had been stealing energon and threatening cities. The Autobots just assumed the Decepticons were the bigger threat without realizing what the Insecticons had been doing under their nose cones.

What was worse was that Carly had been reported among the missing. Ironhide had been itching to go after those creepy crawlers ever since he heard the news about her disappearance. They couldn't afford to be hasty, however. Bumblebee had already died, and Spike and Carly might very well be dead also, so they had to tread carefully and wait for Cosmos.

"Hey, Hound," Sparkplug called up to the green jeep-former.

"Oh, hi Sparkplug," Hound greeted him warmly, but he lacked his usual cheerfulness, "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I'm helping Ratchet with his antidote for the Insecticon poison," Sparkplug explained, "Do you know where I can find a submicrobic analyzer? Ratchet says it's important."

"Sorry, but I don't even know where my own equipment is half the time," Hound replied apologetically.

"It's alright. I'll ask Wheeljack if he has one," Sparkplug replied and then waved goodbye as he left.

Hound sighed tiredly. Of all the people on the Ark that had suffered none had suffered as big a loss as Sparkplug. Spike was his only son, and as far as Hound knew his only living relative. The first few days Spike was missing Sparkplug had been angry and demanding that they find his son quickly. After a couple weeks that anger changed to worry and pacing around the control room. Now he just looked defeated and older. That was how Hound knew that Sparkplug had given up hope. After 2 months it didn't seem likely that Spike was still alive.

Hound felt responsible for this. He was the Autobots' best tracker. It was his job to find the Insecticons when Bumblebee went missing. It was his job to find them when Spike was captured. No matter what he tried though he couldn't locate them. What was he doing wrong? If he were better at his job Spike would still be there, and Bumblebee might still be alive. That was why he didn't go outside anymore. He felt he didn't deserve the cool embrace of the wind and the sun. He deserved to pull desk duty like the washed up failure he was.

His morose thoughts were interrupted by a communication alert. He jolted upright and turned on the comm. To his relief and delight he saw the gaunt but living face of his dear friend Spike! Spike looked dirty and had worry lines all over his face, but he was alive and Hound had another chance to locate him.

"Hound! Oh, thank goodness it's you!" Spike exclaimed as if echoing Hound's own thoughts about the boy, "Hound, listen to me carefully. We don't have much time! I'm in the Insecticon base, and I don't know if you know this or not, but they're running a farm!"

"Uh…" Hound had to admit he didn't understand the urgency behind that, "Okay. Why is that a problem?"

"No, Hound, I mean-! _Listen_! The farm turns humans into fuel!" Spike explained with panic clear in his voice, "The Insecticons have already started! They're _eating_ us! You have to warn the others and send help!"

"Alright Spike, what are your coordinates?" Hound asked in rushed tones.

"Wait, first I have to tell you something," Spike suddenly switched topics as he recalled an important detail, "Hound, Bumblebee isn't dead. That Insecticon actually _is_ Bumblebee! I know it sounds weird, but they've done something to him. They've brainwashed him, but I saw the photos Hound. They tortured him. He suffered without mercy and then was transformed into an Insecticon. Please, tell the others not to hurt him. He needs your help! Promise you won't kill him."

"Spike, if he's-" Hound began to say.

" _Promise me_!" Spike barked insistently.

"Alright, I promise! Just send me your-" but before Hound could finish his sentence, the screen went black.

"Spike?"

Nothing.

" _Spike_!" Hound screamed when he realized he had no way to trace the comm signal and no clue where Spike was.

Hound punched the console in frustration and grunted when he hurt his fist. They might yet lose Spike, especially given the way he defied the Insecticons, but Hound had a mission to fulfill. He had to tell the others all he had learned, and find that bot-forsaken farm before any more humans were harvested.

* * *

"Hound?" Spike whimpered when he saw the screen go dark. That could only mean one thing…

"Naughty human," Kickback chided as he appeared from behind the console, "The computer is not a toy. You tried to lead the Autobots here, didn't you?"

"No!" Spike lied, "I, uh, was just playing back a video of Hound. He was my friend back on the Ark and I miss him. Please don't be mad at me."

"I've had enough of your mischief, Boots!" Kickback snapped; suddenly displaying real anger instead of toying with the boy, "I'm giving you to Shrapnel! He knows how to deal with pests!"

"Yeah, well go ahead!" Spike cried out with the last bit of courage he had left, "I'm sure it won't be any worse than what you've already done to Bumblebee! How can you monsters recharge at night knowing what you've turned him into?"

"You know nothing of our ways, traitorous worm!" Kickback shouted at him furiously, "We gave Bumblebee a home, a family, and a purpose! The Insecticon brotherhood is an unbreakable bond, and it is not an invitation given lightly. Bumblebee was used by his teammates and overworked by his Prime. He went on every mission, he did everything he was told, and he was a _good little minibot_ for his Prime. What did it get him in the end? It made him weak! We made him strong! We made him better than he ever was before! He is grateful to us, and perhaps if you had been grateful I would have spared you, _Boots_."

"My name is Spike," Spike said through clenched teeth, "And Bumblebee has nothing to be grateful for. You saw those photos and videos same as I did. You were _there_. You and your teammates ate him! How can you believe anything about that was kind or beneficial in any way? How would you feel if you were locked in a room and had to wait to be beaten and eaten one piece at a time? Would you be grateful for that?"

"Yes, I _am_ ," Kickback replied sharply, and something changed in his face as he delved into his own memories, "I wasn't that different from Bumblebee. I was an Autobot since younglinghood. When I was given my adult frame I was tasked with searching for energon deposits along asteroid belts and the outer moons in Cybertron's solar system. I was alone most of the time, and when I did dock into port I was always mistreated by other 'Bots who looked down on me for my noncombat-related job. I was miserable, and I didn't even know it."

Spike just watched as Kickback's anger turned into a slumped posture and a lonely expression. Kickback kept talking, and he seemed to forget that he was even mad at Spike a mere moment earlier.

"One orn I was doing my job just like every other orn," Kickback recalled, "Then I saw an unknown ship on my sensors. It was a small Decepticon cutter. Those ships were designed for speed and were usually used by patrols or space pirates. I tried to escape, but my single-mech scout ship was too slow and clunky to maneuver properly. I was captured in their tractor beam and boarded by two of the strangest Cybertronians I had ever seen in my life! They looked like organic insects, and had strange mandibles and cannons mounted on them. They wore the Decepticon logo though, and that was enough to terrify me. I was then locked in place by one of Bombshell's cerebro shells, and he forced me to hurt myself in many ways. I had never been so scared in my life."

"That's horrible," Spike whispered softly, but Kickback didn't hear him.

"Over the course of a few orns I was beaten, my outer shell was eaten away, and I was subjected to more _sessions_ with Bombshell," Kickback shuddered at the memory of his captivity, "It was all necessary for me to learn my place in the hierarchy. Soon I was told that they had been watching me for a long time and that despite what others thought of me they thought I had potential. They gave me a choice. I could die as an Autobot for the sake of those who taunted and abandoned me, or I could join them as an Insecticon and never be alone again. Of course, you know what choice I made because I'm standing here telling you about it. Truth be told, Bumblebee got off easy compared to my initiation, but on earth we don't have the resources for a true vetting of candidates."

Spike couldn't believe it, and after that story he wasn't sure he could look at Kickback the same way again. He was a monster just like the others, that was still true, but he was a victim as well. Just like Bumblebee, Kickback had once been an Autobot and a normal Cybertronian. Somehow that frightened Spike though, because if Kickback never reverted back to his old self, then would Bumblebee ever be himself again?

"Come on, Boots. It's time for your bath," Kickback said wearily as he grabbed the human and carted him off, "I'll overlook your transgression this time, but you're never leaving my room again. No more computers, no television, and for the next week you're only eating green vegetables."

Spike didn't care about being on a tighter leash, so to speak. He only hoped that the Autobots could find the farm and stop the Insecticons before it was too late. Maybe he would even be rescued. The problem though, was could Bumblebee be rescued from himself and the hold the Insecticons had on him? He even wondered if Kickback had a chance for redemption. Judging from the way the Insecticon acted though, he doubted it.


	16. Breech

_Author's Notes: Hi, guys! Thank you for tuning in to see the next chapter of Join Us! I don't have a lot to say right now, so I'll just say I love it that this fic has had so much support, and I enjoy reading your reviews. It should only be a few more chapters before this fic is concluded, so please favorite and follow to keep track of its progress :)_

* * *

Chapter 16

Breech

Sunstreaker was finally able to walk on his own, but transforming was still proving to be difficult. He was constantly frustrated because he felt he couldn't be useful to the team anymore. Sideswipe could do nothing more than offer support as he watched his brother struggle with his recuperation. Ratchet even implied that Sunstreaker might never fully recover from the toxin.

What made the situation worse for the twins was that it seemed like nothing was being done about the Insecticons. Sure, Wheeljack had started construction on the satellites, and Cosmos had been gone for a while in search of a glorified can of Raid, but two Autobots out of the entire team was nothing as far as Sideswipe was concerned. With the Decepticons attacking in full force, no one was going after the Insecticons, and it made Sideswipe angry to feel that his cries for justice were being ignored.

Every time they attacked Megatron's forces Sideswipe searched for an Insecticon, any Insecticon, to destroy on behalf of his brother, but for some reason the Insecticons had been quiet and had distanced themselves from Megatron.

The one Sideswipe _really_ wanted to tear apart was Bumblebee. That good for nothing slag sucking bug dared to call himself the name of their dead friend and then poisoned his twin brother! Sideswipe tensed up every time he thought about that bug being out there somewhere flying free while Sunstreaker could barely walk to the wash racks every orn without tripping and falling on his face plate.

This was the mood Sideswipe found himself in as he stomped down the halls on his way to the rec room to get some energon to take back to his quarters for Sunstreaker. His golden colored twin had become even more reclusive than usual due to his lack of mobility and the shame he felt over it. Sideswipe, therefore, would have to bring Sunstreaker his fuel every day.

Sideswipe was almost there when he passed by Prowl's office and heard a familiar name that made him stop and listen in on the conversation going on inside.

"...as long as we take Bumblebee alive," He heard Hound say to Prowl.

 _Alive? Is he kidding?_ Sideswipe thought in disgust.

"How can we _take him_ either way if you failed to get the coordinates?" Prowl asked Hound curtly; clearly unhappy with the lack of information.

"I managed to trace it to a 300 mechano-mile radius in this region of the Pacific Islands," Hound replied; unflustered by Prowl's reaction, "Unfortunately, I doubt that's where the farm is since they would need a lot more space to house so many humans. I just hope we're not too late…"

 _Farm? Humans? What does that have to do with not killing Bumblebee?_ Sideswipe thought in confusion.

Sideswipe only cared about one part of that conversation; Hound had managed to narrow down the place to search for the Insecticons. The red frontliner smiled with bitter glee as thoughts of revenge danced in his processor. He immediately went down to Teletran 1 to download the last set of coordinates displayed in the Pacific Islands. Once he had them, Sideswipe ran out the door, transformed, and began his journey to find the Insecticon base and take them down once and for all.

* * *

It was time for evening meal, and Bumblebee sat down and smiled as he eyed his long bale of vines. There was just something about plant matter that Bumblebee couldn't get enough of. Of course it was no pizza, but there was no place near them that delivered so he settled for vines.

His Insecticon brothers and the new larger Insecticons soon joined him in the main room for dinner, and he saw that Bombshell was carrying several stacks of glowing blue energon cubes. He had never seen blue energon quite like that before, but he already had an idea of where it came from...

"Venom, it was so nice of your crew to join us for dinner," Bombshell said amiably, "I am glad that we can put our differences behind us."

"Me too…" Barrage grumbled; still remembering the acid burns he had been forced to inflict on his own servos.

"Bumblebee, I brought you a cube from storage," Kickback announced happily as he handed one to the striped Insecticon, "Careful though, it has a kick."

"Um, Kickback? Is that from the farm?" Bumblebee asked warily.

"Of course! Where else would we get energon? From _Megatron_? Hah!" Kickback barked back a laugh before gulping down his cube.

"I don't want it. You can have it," Bumblebee replied hurriedly as he shoved the cube over to Kickback.

"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Kickback asked, and then looked to make sure no one else was paying attention to them, "Is it the taste?" Kickback then whispered.

"Listen, I'm not going to judge how you or anyone else lives their lives," Bumblebee said with forced politeness, "But I can't eat that. I can't eat something I know used to be a human. Humans are very special to me, and I couldn't live with myself if I killed one just to keep myself refueled."

"But you work on the farm every day," Kickback pointed out, "What's the difference?"

"The difference is bigger mechs can't live on solid matter alone the way we can," Bumblebee replied, "I know there are going to be other Insecticons that will need the farm. Venom and his crew need the farm. Cybertronian survival has to come first, I know that, but I can't eat humans. I'm not condemning you or anyone else. I just can't eat humans. I hope you understand."

"Well...I guess I wouldn't want to eat something I knew personally," Kickback admitted with a shrug, "But eating a random human isn't the same thing. You must've been really close to a lot of humans to feel this way."

At this Bumblebee perked up and said "Yeah, I was. You want to see some holopics I took of my friends back when I was with the Autobots?"

"Sure. Why not?" Kickback replied agreeably and started drinking the cube Bumblebee left untouched.

Bumblebee then opened a panel in his arm plating to reveal a screen, and showed off the pictures one by one.

"This is when Spike and Sparkplug worked on the oil rig," Bumblebee explained, "That was the first time I ever met them. Actually, Hound got along better with Spike at first, but Hound's job keeps him busy, so I hung out with him. Sparkplug works with Wheeljack and Ratchet a lot since they're all into medical science, or as the humans call it, auto mechanics."

"Spike looks fatter there," Kickback observed as he pointed to the photo.

"Yeah, he was younger then and didn't get as much exercise as he does working with the Autobots," Bumblebee commented, "I hope he's okay. He was awfully mad at me the last time I saw him."

Bumblebee had no idea that Spike was actually in the same building with him being held prisoner by Kickback, the very mech he was speaking to. If only he had known Spike was in trouble and needed him, but as it was he was content to believe Kickback was his brother and friend; therefore he never suspected a thing.

"This next picture is from a place called the _post office_ ," Bumblebee stumbled over the alien phrase, "I went there with Chip Chase one day. He explained that it's a place that sends and receives physical text for humans. It's like email, but existing in physical space. Chip says they need to install a ramp. I think they need better parking. Oh, I really like this next photo! This is Spike and Carly entertaining sick kids at the hospital by singing to them! Spike is a terrible singer, but Carly was good enough to cover that little fact up. Carly likes to volunteer to help people who are less fortunate, but she doesn't always have time. She's been very busy with her studies at college. She's going to be an engineer. I think she and Spike might be getting serious, too. They might even be bondmate's someday...if he can keep up with her adventurous spirit."

Kickback squinted at the photo as he stared at it, trying to jog his memory as to why that human femme looked familiar. Then it hit him, and his face plate went slack as the implications fully sank in.

"Uh, Bumblebee…" Kickback said quietly, "About that femme…"

"Yeah?" Bumblebee pressed; his face innocent and unassuming.

"I'm pretty sure she was turned into one of these cubes," Kickback confessed, and Bumblebee flinched as he looked back at the cubes being consumed by the other Insecticons, "I could be wrong," Kickback added, "However, I do know for a fact that she was processed. I did it myself. I didn't know she meant anything to you though. I'm sorry."

"You killed Carly?" Bumblebee whispered; his face already contorting in pain and anguish, "You... _ate her_?"

"She's a human, and she looks like every other human," Kickback replied defensively, "If it helps, I crushed her skull quickly so she didn't suffer. That's what I do with all the humans we process. Her sacrifice was for the good of Cybertron, remember that. We need as many of these humans as we can manage. Soon more Cybertronians will upgrade into Insecticons, and this project will become more important than ever. Don't lose sight of what we've accomplished! We are the saviors of the Cybertronian race!"

At first Bumblebee didn't reply, but then he looked back at Kickback again, his look hard and without feeling, and he simply said "You murdered Carly. _I_ murdered Carly. I killed her…"

Kickback was unnerved by the matter-of-fact tone Bumblebee was using. It seemed like his young brother was shutting down mentally, and he felt responsible for telling him about the human female. He didn't know what to do, and when Bumblebee left to get some fresh air he did nothing to stop him.

* * *

Bumblebee had to get away! He couldn't stay in that suffocating ship anymore. He wondered vaguely if this was how seekers felt all the time as he allowed his wings to carry him away into the starry night.

Thoughts of his human friends ran through his processor. If Carly could be eaten then how many more had also been taken? Did they kill Spike? Sparkplug? Chip? Raoul? There were so many humans he and the other Autobots had grown close to. How could he have been so blind? Why didn't he think of that when he was tending to machinery on that evil death farm?

 _We are the saviors of the Cybertronian race…_ Kickback's voice echoed in his processor.

He flashed back to Spike and Chip the day Bumblebee took them to a NASCAR race. They had been so happy, and they had wanted to see the Autobots race too. That excursion turned into quite a mess, but it was fun while they were racing. He loved hearing the boys talk about things like earth sports and technology. The boys had different skill sets, but they both had a love of machines in one form or another.

 _Her sacrifice was for the good of Cybertron…_ Kickback's voice warred with him again as he tried to fly faster to avoid hearing it.

"And so the woodsman saved Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and they all lived happily ever after. The end," Carly had said softly as she closed the book she was reading to the children at the hospital, "What did you think, Bumblebee?"

"I think that wolf sounds a lot like Starscream," Bumblebee joked, and then they all had a good laugh about it.

"STOP!" Bumblebee screamed at the memories, "I'm _sorry_! I'm sorry Carly! I'm sorry Spike! I'm sorry Optimus Prime! What have I _done_? I've betrayed everyone I've ever cared about! I never wanted this. I...never...wanted this…"

Bumblebee tried to calm himself down by flying a little lower. He skimmed the tops of tropical trees and tried to intake air to cool his overheating systems down. He just wanted to take it all back. Part of him wanted to blame the Insecticons, but then again how could he? He had allowed them to convince him to betray his people and his principles. He had condoned the farm and even participated in its construction and maintenance. In fact, he never would've questioned anything if it hadn't harmed someone he personally cared about. Bumblebee used to always want to help strangers and get to know them. Was this what the famine on Cybertron had turned him into? Was he really fit to be anything other than an Insecticon?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard an engine revving up. That was odd because he wasn't flying over any roads, so there shouldn't have been any cars. His question was painfully answered when a red Lamborghini jumped over him, transformed, and landed roughly on his back!

" _Jet judo_!" Sideswipe cried out savagely as he started pulling at Bumblebee's wings.

Bumblebee's wings weren't as strong as a seeker's, nor were they meant to carry any sort of weight, so they snapped off as if they had never been attached at all. Both mechs fell downward into the brush, Bumblebee screaming in pain and panic, and Sideswipe continuing to rip at the back armor of the frightened Insecticon!

They landed in the swamp, and Bumblebee used the water's buoyancy to push himself away from the attacking Autobot. Sideswipe swam toward Bumblebee in a rage, but Bumblebee was faster due to his smaller size and lack of density due to being a flyer. He ran out of the water and kept running toward the underbrush. Sideswipe climbed out of the water and looked for the Insecticon's trail, which he easily found, and began to track the bug.

Bumblebee resisted the urge to pant as he continued to run and duck between bushes and vines. He thought he had lost Sideswipe, but then he felt someone poking his back, and gulped before turning around and facing the red and black mech.

"So, you really thought it would be that easy to lose me, huh?" Sideswipe asked tauntingly, "Why don't you just sting me like you did Sunstreaker? You run out of poison, bug?"

"I don't want to hurt you," Bumblebee said in a feeble voice, "I'm sorry for what I've done. Sunstreaker didn't deserve that."

"Yeah, he _didn't_!" Sideswipe snapped harshly; not buying the Insecticon's contrite act, "Say goodbye, Insecticon!"

Sideswipe then grabbed Bumblebee by his neck cables and began to squeeze with all his might! Bumblebee felt fuel lines being clogged, and could actually feel the red warrior's digits digging into the cables and puncturing them! Bumblebee struggled to get away, but Sideswipe's grip was too strong, and soon the smaller mech went into stasis lock; grateful that at least his pain would be over...

* * *

...The pain in his helm and neck cables was intense. That was the first thing he thought as he came online. The second thing he noticed was bright light directly above him. That wouldn't happen on the forest floor, so he had to be inside somewhere.

He wondered if he was in the Autobot base. Maybe Sideswipe had captured him. If that was the case, then Bumblebee would accept whatever sentence they gave him. He deserved it.

He also wondered if human authorities had taken him. Would they perform experiments on him if they did? Despite everything that had happened, Bumblebee was still afraid of that. Humans wouldn't be as merciful as Autobots. Even though he loved the human race, even he had to admit they could be rather... _careless_ when they got curious about something.

"W-where am I?" Bumblebee finally managed to rasp; his voice cracking due to being in stasis lock for so long.

"Online you optics optics," he heard a familiar voice command.

Bumblebee onlined his optics as ordered, and then looked around to see that Shrapnel and Bombshell were in the room with him. It was the Insecticon laboratory where he had been transformed in the first place. Somehow it seemed even less inviting now than it did then.

"You gave us quite a scare, Bumblebee," Bombshell chided him gently, "You were lucky that Kickback was looking for you, otherwise we might have come too late."

"Sideswipe!" Bumblebee exclaimed; fearing for his ex-friend's safety.

"Don't worry, he's gone now," Bombshell replied; misinterpreting Bumblebee's fear _for_ him as fear _of_ him, "Venom burned quite a hole in his chassis with his acid. I doubt the Autobots will have time to look for us anyway. Megatron is building a new doomsday device. That should buy us some time until we can enact the next phase of our plan."

"Next phase?" Bumblebee asked nervously; not liking where this was going.

"Of course," Bombshell replied enthusiastically, "When we move the farm and its contents to Cybertron. We can't stay here. There's too much Autobot activity. Besides, soon we will have plenty of humans to keep the supply consistent indefinitely. They are breeding much faster now thanks to my fertility formula."

"Good thing we saved you from the Autobots Autobots," Shrapnel said in a tone that sounded like he was reminding Bumblebee, "Otherwise you would be scrap scrap. I suppose you owe us your life life. Oh, well. What's a spark between brothers brothers?"

Bumblebee realized the implications immediately. Kickback had likely told them about his conversation regarding Carly, and now the Insecticons were letting Bumblebee know his place in their ranks was in jeopardy. If he wanted to stay alive, he would have to stay with them. Considering the Autobots didn't want him and he was now a murderer, Bumblebee didn't see that he had much choice.


	17. Crunch Time

_Author's Notes: Hello all! I know my updates have not been as frequent, but I've had a lot on my plate between working on my next novel and just everyday real life stuff. Thank you all for your patience. Anyway, after this there is just one more chapter to go on this story, and I am both excited to finish the fic and sad that the journey has to end. I have a lot of new ideas in my head though, so maybe it's good I'm finishing something. Anyway, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Join Us, and I also hope you stick around to see the conclusion that is coming soon :)_

* * *

Chapter 17

Crunch Time

Spike didn't know what was going on outside the walls of the pen that Kickback kept him confined in, but he could definitely feel a change in his so-called _master's_ behavior. Kickback had started staying in his quarters more, which Spike hated since that meant they were together more often. Kickback had also been in a very bad mood. Sometimes Kickback was just sad to the point of being depressed, and other times he would yell at Spike for seemingly no reason and punch the walls and furniture.

That was why when Spike woke up and didn't see Kickback there, he was at first relieved. He would finally have some time to himself without the threat of Kickback's anger or sorrow. After a few hours though, Spike became concerned. If Kickback had been hurt or something then no one else knew where he was. Spike could starve to death waiting for Kickback to come back! He couldn't call out to Kickback though, because that could lead other Insecticons to his location. If only he could see Bumblebee again and convince him to help.

Just as Spike thought this, there was a rattling of the door. Spike was almost relieved to see that Kickback was coming back, but when the door opened it most decidedly _wasn't_ Kickback…

"Well, looky what we have here!" The large maroon colored Insecticon crooned, "It's a whole new set of quarters, and completely unguarded! I wonder which of those pipsqueaks this place belongs to? Oh well, time to investigate!"

The Insecticon then barged in and started poking through Kickback's things. Spike kept quiet lest he attract any unwanted attention. He didn't know which larger Insecticon was which, but he _did_ know that these guys were trouble.

The Insecticon found Kickback's collection of shiny bits of metal and stuffed it into his subspace. He then searched under the berth and pulled out a long string of copper wire, which he also proceeded to steal. Spike then realized that this Insecticon was going to rob Kickback blind, which seemed ridiculous and almost cruel considering how few possessions Kickback actually owned.

The large bug then noticed the green box that served as Spike's pen, and opened the roof to peer inside. Spike gasped as he was eye to optic with the unwanted intruder, and the Insecticon grinned wickedly at what he saw. Spike was then grabbed and brought right up to the Insecticon's face plate for closer inspection.

"So, a human with no infused energy, eh?" The Insecticon asked rhetorically, "Well now, I wonder what purpose you serve for Kickback? Maybe a secret stash in case we run out of food?"

"P-Please, let me go!" Spike hated how shaky his voice sounded at the moment, but he couldn't help but be terrified, "I'm not food! I'm Kickback's... _pet_." He still got a bad taste in his mouth from saying that out loud.

"Oh, really?" The Insecticon asked mockingly, "Well, you look like a tasty snack to me. I've never had a raw human before…"

Spike was then dangled over the gaping maw of the Insecticon, and he screamed as he struggled to free himself from this predicament. He was sure that he was doomed, but then he heard a voice he never thought he'd be happy to hear again.

"Chop Shop!" Kickback exclaimed when he saw what was happening, "Give me back my human and get out of my room!"

"Oh, you want this, do you?" Chop Shop asked menacingly as he dangled Spike by his shirt collar to taunt Kickback, "Only if you tell me why you're keeping him in the first place."

"Give him to me and I'll show you," Kickback replied casually, "Trust me, you're gonna get a real kick out of this."

Chop Shop complied and handed the boy back to Kickback. Kickback then set Spike on the ground to the side of the two Insecticons and transformed into grasshopper mode. Before Chop Shop could even ask what was going on Kickback gave him a violent kick to the helm and sent the larger bug into stasis lock!

"See? Told you you'd get a kick out of it," Kickback joked at the unconscious bug, and then turned back to Spike, "Are you okay, Boots?"

"Yeah, boy am I glad to see you!" Spike said, and was surprised by himself that he meant it, "So, is he...dead?"

"No, he'll be alright," Kickback replied indifferently, "You won't though. He'll tell my brothers you're here, and they'll get mad at me for keeping a human that could be used to make energy. It's not safe here anymore."

"What are you going to do with me, Kickback?" Spike asked; afraid of the answer.

Kickback weighed his options. He knew he couldn't keep his little Boots, but if he ate the boy he'd never forgive himself. He also couldn't release a domesticated human into the jungle. Boots wouldn't last a day out there all alone. Kickback thought about hiding him someplace else, but the only other place he went was the farm, and that was out. In the end, he could only think of one way to save his favorite human.

Kickback got a net out of his subspace and wrapped it around Spike before the boy understood what was happening. Spike screamed to be released from the sewn metal prison but Kickback didn't listen to him. He flew out the nearest window with the net and took off into the sky; his processor full of purpose.

* * *

Sideswipe had been badly burned by the acid. The only reason he hadn't died out there was because Sunstreaker felt him through their twin bond and was able to direct Skyfire to where the red frontliner lay bleeding in the forest. Ratchet and Wheeljack worked furiously on the warrior's chassis and helm, and eventually were able to reverse the damage. They knew though that it would be a while before they could awaken the red twin.

Sunstreaker growled low as he stared at Sideswipe recharging on a medical berth. Was this what Sideswipe went through after Sunstreaker had been poisoned? The gold twin knew the answer was yes. He hated those fragging Insecticons now more than ever. He already hated what they did to him, but messing with Sideswipe was the final straw.

Meanwhile, in the control room Optimus Prime sat at the console with Tracks, Hound, and Gears. They were trying to determine possible locations of the Insecticons based off where Sideswipe had been attacked. Optimus was aware this could all be a futile gesture. The Insecticon Sideswipe found had been flying. It could've come from anywhere.

Hound blamed himself for what happened to Sideswipe. If he had spoken to Prowl over a comm link then Sideswipe never would've overheard their conversation and never would've gone after the Insecticons alone. They also knew now that there were more new Insecticons than just Bumblebee. This Venom guy was seriously bad news and they had to get Cosmos back to earth immediately!

After a few minutes of searching, Gears said "Hey Prime, I'm pickin' up a signal."

"From Bali?" Prime asked.

"No, from...outside the Ark!" Gears replied; shocked once he realized the implications, "We're receiving a message from one of the Insecticons. It says 'Have human hostage. Wish to exchange for energon cubes. Two or three will do.' This sounds fishy, Prime."

"Agreed, but we cannot allow the Insecticons to harm anymore humans," Optimus replied solemnly, "If what Hound learned about the farm is true, then any human near an Insecticon is in danger. Tracks and Hound, come with me. Gears, stay here and monitor the situation. Send reinforcements if the Insecticon attacks us. Autobots, roll out!"

Optimus and his two teammates drove outside in their vehicular modes to where the Insecticon was waiting for them. When they got close enough they could see that it was Kickback, and he had a metallic net that undoubtedly had the hostage inside. They would need to act with discretion if they were going to save whoever was trapped in that net.

Optimus transformed, and the other two followed suit. Hound and Tracks readied their blasters just in case the Insecticon tried anything funny, and Kickback immediately tensed up and held the net closer to his chassis.

"Kickback, release the human and we will give you three energon cubes," Optimus said calmly; hoping the exchange could be quick and painless.

"Okay," Kickback replied with a nod; surprising the Autobots with how agreeable he was being.

Optimus nodded to Hound, and the scout went inside the Ark. He came back less than a minute later with three energon cubes as promised. Kickback looked at the cubes approvingly, and then tore away the netting from his prize. Everyone was shocked to see that it was Spike, and that he look malnourished and frightened!

"Spike!" Hound exclaimed as he hurriedly took the boy from Kickback's grasp, "Are you okay, little buddy? What did those fiends do to you?"

" _Fiends_?" Kickback asked; affronted, "If it wasn't for me Boots would be dead right now!"

"Boots?" Tracks asked; confused.

"It's a long story," Spike muttered; embarrassed, "But yeah. Kickback did keep me alive. Actually Kickback, I still don't understand this. I thought you would rather kill me than let me go."

"I don't know why I did this either," Kickback shrugged, "I guess I consider you a friend. I don't have a lot of friends, so I value the ones I do have. You guys can keep the cubes. I might take one, just because I got hungry on the flight over here."

"Kickback," Optimus addressed the Insecticon as he approached, and Kickback got nervous being this close to such a powerful foe, "Kickback, you have behaved admirably today. You put the needs of another being over your own desires. I know a lot has happened between our two peoples, and there has been a lot of animosity between us. However, if you would be willing to start over, I would be willing to as well. Kickback, I would invite you to defect from the Decepticons and join us in our quest to eliminate Megatron. I believe you have the potential to be an Autobot, if you are willing to take that chance."

Hound and Tracks were dumbfounded by Prime's words, but not as much as Kickback was. Join the Autobots? Was Prime serious? He was asking Kickback to leave behind his brothers, their hard work, and everything he knew in order to join their cause. He had to admit though, the Autobots had a pretty good thing going here. The grateful humans gave them free energon, and in return all the Autobots had to do was keep fighting the war they were already fighting and protect the human populace. Kickback didn't hate humans. He could see himself defending them if he wanted to.

"Come on Kickback, Optimus is right," Spike said encouragingly, "You're not like the other Insecticons. If anything you're more like Bumblebee. Just a lost spark that got railroaded by those who saw someone they could take advantage of. Please, stay here. You could turn your whole life around and be an Autobot again. What do you say? You want to try?"

Again. When Spike said that word it gave Kickback the answer he needed. He liked the little human, but Spike could never understand what Kickback went through under the Autobots.

"Sorry Prime, but we're still enemies," Kickback replied resolutely, "I'll fly away without giving you trouble this time, but next time it'll be as if none of this ever happened. It's nothing personal, but I could never leave my brothers. I'm an Insecticon, and I could never be anything else. I eat, I destroy, and I multiply. That's my whole existence, and I don't think your team could ever learn to accept that, so I'm not going to make them try. Just do me a favor? Take care of Boots. He's a pretty special human."

With that Kickback transformed into grasshopper mode, grabbed a cube with his legs, and flew off back to where he belonged. Spike, despite everything Kickback did to him, still felt sorry for him. Kickback had been brainwashed for a lot longer than Bumblebee, and now there was nothing left of whatever Kickback used to be. He would never escape Shrapnel and Bombshell's iron grip, and Spike wondered if Bumblebee was equally doomed.

* * *

It had been two days since Spike had been returned from the Insecticons' lair. The best part of coming back had been when Hound gave the news to Sparkplug that Spike was finally home, and Spike's dad had hugged him tighter than he ever remembered being hugged before. The two men thought they would never see each other again, so there were tears and joyous laughter all around.

That night had been spent in the Ark celebrating. The Autobots had high grade, and everyone danced to some tunes that Jazz and Blaster had picked out. Every now and then though Spike would be reminded just how different everything had become. At one point he absentmindedly looked for Bumblebee to see how he was enjoying the party, only to remember Bumblebee wasn't there. It didn't seem right not having him there, even though it had been months since Bumblebee had been changed. To Spike it was like trying to come to terms with the death of his best friend.

That had been two days ago. Spike had gone home with his father once so they could gather a few things, but everyone agreed that until the Insecticons were dealt with that the Autobots' human companions would be safer in the Ark. Fortunately they already had a spare room in the Ark with human sized furniture and beds. Spike missed his own room, but at the same time felt safe within the orange walls of the Autobot base.

Spike was assigned to help Sparkplug out with fixing a few parts for the Autobots in the lab with Wheeljack. It was nice to be able to work with his hands again and just forget that he had spent so long away from his father and his friends. Wheeljack was working on some things that looked like satellite dishes, but Spike didn't want to ask about them because he was too busy rebuilding a carburetor for Brawn.

Just as the three busy workers were in the zone repairing things and building things, Wheeljack suddenly got a comm on his private channel. Spike and Sparkplug were curious, because every now and then Wheeljack's headfins would light up with a happy blue, so they knew it was something good.

When Wheeljack finally got off his comm link, Sparkplug asked "So Wheeljack, who was it?"

"That was Cosmos!" Wheeljack replied excitedly, "He says he'll be in the system with the insecticide by tomorrow afternoon! It's almost crunch time! We should be able to have the satellites up and running by tomorrow night, and then the next day we can make our move!"

"Well, that's a relief," Sparkplug said as he wiped some sweat off his brow, "Soon this whole thing will just be a bad memory."

"Insecticide?" Spike asked, "What insecticide?"

"Do you remember that robotic insecticide you, Bumblebee, and Cosmos found in deep space last year?" Wheeljack asked, to which Spike nodded, "Well, Cosmos is bringing back more. A _lot_ more. We'll place the insecticide inside explosive canisters and attach them to these satellites I've built here. Then we'll release it into the atmosphere; breaking down every Insecticon's body and killing them all in one fell swoop! Soon the Insecticons will be gone for good!"

"Every Insecitcon?" Spike asked for clarification, and both Wheeljack and his dad nodded, "But what about Bumblebee?"

"Yep, even that imposter Bumblebee!" Wheeljack exclaimed enthusiastically; not knowing what Spike knew about the mechanical bee.

"Oh, no…" Spike's eyes widened in realization, "You have to stop this! Bumblebee will be killed!"

"We can't stop. This is on Prime's orders," Wheeljack told him; though his optics betrayed the confusion he felt.

"I have to speak to Optimus, _now_!" Spike replied frantically.

"You can't. He isn't here," Wheeljack replied, "He went out to talk to Omega Supreme about helping us with these satellites. Don't worry Spike, this plan is foolproof. I've already tested a small sample on myself, and there's no way it'll harm any Autobots. The insecticide is only responsive to the unique physiology of Insecticons and other robotic insects. We'll be fine."

Spike wasn't thinking straight anymore. His mind was screaming at him to save Bumblebee. He also knew though that it was wrong to try to stop the Autobots from defending earth. Human beings were dying, and the insecticide might be their last hope. Still, he had to think of something to save his friend. Spike then sighed and realized he only had one option left if Bumblebee was going to survive. He just hoped he wasn't making the wrong decision.

* * *

Bumblebee didn't feel comfortable around his fellow Insecticons anymore. He no longer spoke his mind, and he didn't even make any more clones. He was afraid for their safety as well as his own, so it was better to simply not make them at all. He knew now that he was no better than a slave to his so-called _brothers_. They used him, and they would kill him if he tried to leave them.

What was worse, the Autobots would never take him back now, so he had no one left who cared about him. He wasn't even sure he deserved anyone who cared. He had allowed one of his best human friends to be eaten, and had allowed another to wander off into the jungle months ago. He was a terrible mech, in his own opinion. He felt he deserved the living pit he was forced to remain in.

At the moment he was sitting alone in the main room and chewing on a piece of tree bark with moss on it. He wasn't even hungry, but the chewing motion was comforting to him. He didn't know what he ever did without the ability to chew his food. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a comm signal going off in his helm. He sighed, figuring one of his brothers was trying to get him to go back to the farm to do chores, but a glance at the comm link code revealed it to be originating from Teletran 1!

"H-Hello?" Bumblebee spoke aloud to whoever was on the other end of the comm in an effort to remind himself this was real, "This is Bumblebee. Who's there?"

/Bumblebee? It's me, Spike,/ Spike replied; relief clear in his tone, /Listen, I couldn't contact you before now, but you have to listen to me-/

/Spike!/ Bumblebee exclaimed, /You're alive! I'm so sorry for how I behaved that last time I saw you! I'm so so sorry! Please tell me you're okay!/

/Bumblebee, there's no time for this! You have to listen to me!/ Spike shouted quickly into the comm, /The Autobots have found more of that weird insecticide that kills Insecticons and they're going to spray the entire planet! You have to get to safety. Find a shelter or something. The Autobots will try to lure the Insecticons out into the open the day after tomorrow. Don't go with them. Find shelter. Please Bumblebee, don't tell them about this. The farm is wrong. Please, don't let them get away with this! Just save yourself./

/The Autobots have an insecticide that can...kill us all?/ Bumblebee asked softly; not fully comprehending the enormity of it all for a few seconds, /Spike, I don't know where I could hide. I don't even know that I _could_ escape./

/Just try Bumblebee, please,/ Spike begged, /I don't want you to die. I know they hurt you, but you're still my best friend. Just come home. I'm sure they can fix you if we just explain. I'll vouch for you Bee, just come back to us...please./

/Well...I'll think about it,/ Bumblebee finally relented, /I miss you buddy. Take care of yourself./

/Yeah, you too Bee,/ Spike replied before shutting off the comm link.

Bumblebee sighed as he shut off his comm link. He didn't know what he was going to do. He wanted to go back to the Autobots, but at the same time he didn't feel like he belonged there anymore. He knew the other Insecticons lied to him and were harming their captive humans, but at the same time he still didn't want them to die. He didn't know what he was going to do.

"Did you have a nice chat with the human, Bumblebee?" Bombshell asked from behind him, and Bumblebee gasped when he realized he had been caught, "Oh come now, you honestly believed I wouldn't wiretap your comm signal? I suppose you could say I have you _bugged_. Heh heh."

"How much did you hear?" Bumblebee asked nervously.

"Everything," Bombshell replied flatly, "I wouldn't suggest running if I were you. You're not going anywhere. You will aid us in defending ourselves from the Autobots' cowardly attack."

"And if I refuse?" Bumblebee asked harshly.

"Then you will be implanted with a cerebro shell," Bombhsell replied calmly, "And this time I will _never_ remove it. So Bumblebee, are you my brother, or are you my puppet? Believe me, I do not wish to turn this into a struggle."

Bumblebee was trapped. The cerebro shell was the scariest experience of his entire life. He would do anything to prevent it from happening again. He knew then that Bombshell had him at his mercy. There was no way he would disobey now.

"I'll help you," Bumblebee replied in a defeated tone of voice, "If I may ask...when we invade the Ark...I want Spike and Sparkplug to come back with us. Please, I don't want them to be eaten. May I have them back?"

"Of course. Never let it be said I'm not generous," Bombshell replied offhandedly, "Now, about your attempt to deceive us..."

Bumblebee gulped. He knew whatever was coming wasn't going to be good. There was a certain glint in Bombshell's optic that he only got when he was about to deal out a particularly painful punishment. In a matter of moments Bumblebee's suspicion was confirmed when Shrapnel came into the room with a scowl on his face plate and his fists balled at his sides.

"Ah, Shrapnel, right on time," Bombshell smirked, "Bumblebee tried to hide a comm conversation with a member of the Autobots' inner circle. I'm sure you know how to discipline him so that this does not happen again…"

With those words Bombshell shot a cerebro shell at Bumblebee's forehelm, and before he could dodge it Bumblebee was standing motionless under the power of the insidious hacking device. The next thing he knew Shrapnel was beating him again, and once again there was nothing he could do about it.


	18. Buzz Off

_Author's Notes: Yes yes yes! Finally, another story concluded! It is both happy and sad when a story I've enjoyed writing finally comes to an end, but I think the final chapter of this fic turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. As of this update, this story has had over 5,000 views! You guys are awesome! I'm glad so many people enjoyed this fic. I enjoyed writing it, even though at times it was creepy and emotional. Hopefully you will check out my other stories and find something else you like. I would also appreciate reading your reviews to know how you feel about this story :)_

* * *

Chapter 18

Buzz Off

The next day the Insecticons sat around together to plan their next move. The Autobots would have the insecticide ready in one more day, so they were working with borrowed time as they strategized how to save themselves.

"I say we have to hit them before they hit us!" Venom declared.

"Yeah! We should just blow the Ark straight to the pit!" Barrage agreed.

"That sounds good in theory theory, but the Autobots keep that location heavily guarded guarded," Shrapnel pointed out, "We need to lure them out in the open open. The skies are our domain domain."

"Yes, we will swarm them like a group of angry seekers!" Kickback proclaimed as he jumped from his seat in excitement, "We will make so many clones of ourselves that we will overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"

"I don't remember how to make a clone," Chop Shop spoke up sheepishly.

"Me neither," Ransack added glumly, "Can we stay home?"

"You do and you'll go back to the burn ward," Venom growled in warning.

Bumblebee sat there and listened to the Insecticons speak, but his spark wasn't in it. He knew they were planning the execution of dozens of his former friends and allies. He wanted to warn them, but Bombshell and Shrapnel kept their optics on him at all times. He had no way to help his Autobot friends.

"Clones are not difficult to build," Bombshell informed them patiently, "You just find some scrap metal and hit it with the regeneration beam built into every Insecticon's helm. Then, _voila_ , instant clones."

"So, what's the plan plan?" Shrapnel asked Bombshell, "Come on, you're the smart one one."

"Simple," Bombshell replied as he leaned forward in his chair and steepled his digits on the desk, "We find a place that is open and filled with humans, and then we attack it. My suggestion is the world's largest airport."

"Do you mean largest as in people, or largest as in land mass?" Kickback asked, "Because I've found two online that would suit our needs: Beijing and Atlanta."

"Beijing is closer to us, I vote for that one!" Chop Shop exclaimed as he raised his servo like a grade school child.

"True, but Atlanta is closer to the Autobots Autobots," Shrapnel debated, "We should attack that one one."

"Alright, let's put it to a vote," Bombshell replied reasonably, "Who votes for Beijing?"

Chop Shop, Ransack, and Kickback raised their servos.

"And Who votes for Atlanta?" Bombshell inquired.

Venom, Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Barrage raised their servos.

"Bumblebee, you didn't vote," Kickback observed, "If you vote with me it'll be a tie."

"I don't care," Bumblebee sighed in resignation, "Do whatever you want."

"Very well then. Atlanta it is," Bombshell replied, and Shrapnel smiled savagely at the news, "We leave now. There is no time to waste if we are going to defeat the Autobots before they get the insecticide. Everyone, find anything metal. I don't care if it's the computer, the floorboards, or even the walls of our ship. Our lives are at stake, so we must use whatever scrap metal we can find to make as many soldiers as necessary. Now go."

The Insecticons then raced around the ship ripping apart everything in sight to make more clones. Even Bumblebee made several clones of himself for the war effort. He didn't want to be in this fight, but he also knew this was his only chance for survival. He just had to block out everything and keep his processor focused on the task at hand.

* * *

Cosmos had contacted the Autobots to say that he was ahead of schedule and would be in earth's orbit with the insect repellent in a few hours. The Autobots were happy that soon one of their Decepticon problems would be over with the termination of the Insecticons. Spike, however, was still worried. He hoped Bumblebee had taken his advice and found a safe place to hide, but he hadn't heard from him since yesterday so he didn't know for sure.

Sideswipe, meanwhile, was fully repaired and back to helping Sunstreaker with his rehabilitation. It seemed Venom's acid wasn't as deadly as Bumblebee's toxin. Sideswipe had only been fixed for a day, but he had already found time for Sunstreaker's care as well as working on his fighting style in the training room. No way was he going to allow a bunch of bugs to get the best of him, and he knew Sunstreaker felt the same way, too.

Everyone was caught off guard when Teletran 1 blared an alert saying there was a large scale attack on the Atlanta Airport. They were even more surprised to see who it was: the Insecticons!

"Teletran, how long until Cosmos is in orbit?" Optimus Prime asked their computer.

"1 hour 25 minutes," Teletran 1 replied dutifully.

"How are we gonna keep the Insecticons occupied that long?" Cliffjumper asked; both angered and perplexed.

"We shall simply have to fight them until Cosmos is able to fill the satellites with the repellant," Optimus replied solemnly, "Wheeljack, bring the remote. We will have to deploy the gas from the battlefield. Autobots, roll out!"

"We're coming, too!" Sideswipe announced.

"You are not fully recovered yet, and Sunstreaker is in no condition to fight," Optimus pointed out, "I must insist you stay here."

"Prime, we owe these bugs some payback," Sunstreaker growled, "We're not asking your permission. We're coming."

"I don't care if you are hurt, you do _not_ speak to the Prime that way," Prowl reprimanded them.

"All Sunny means is that it's personal," Sideswipe clarified in a more rational manner, "Sir, this may be the last battle we ever have with the Insecticons. We need to be there. We need to see them die to know that they are definitely gone. Please, just this once, bend the rules."

Optimus Prime sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose cone. He didn't need to have to watch out for the twins on top of everything else, but at the same time he knew this was important to them. They were warriors, and besides that they were brothers. Fighting the Insecticons together was their way of looking out for each other. Reluctantly, Optimus Prime nodded his helm and allowed them to go.

Optimus and the team transformed into vehicle mode and took off for the sight. Spike stayed behind to monitor Teletran 1, but he still had a bad feeling about this. What if Bumblebee was out there with the Insecticons? Was there anyone or anything left in this world that could save him?

* * *

The Autobots arrived to a scene of wanton destruction and chaos. Planes were being eaten, the humans that could evacuate were gone while the ones that couldn't had been killed or captured. Shrapnel insisted on taking prisoners since they would need more stock for the farm once the Autobots were out of the way.

Bumblebee hung back behind his clones, but he could still see the Autobots coming and his spark felt heavy. A part of him wished they had just stayed away and waited for the bug spray.

"Don't worry Bumblebee," Kickback said encouragingly as he put his servo on one of Bumblebee's spare limbs, "They're nothing. We're stronger. Besides, if anything goes wrong I'll have your back. Just stay focused on victory."

Bumblebee hung his helm as Kickback left to take his position. Despite Bumblebee's problem with the Insecticons, he did truly believe Kickback was his friend. That made it even harder to accept that Kickback was Carly's murderer. Bumblebee's world was so off-kilter that he couldn't even tell friend from foe anymore, and he feared it was making him crazy.

"Insecticons!" Optimus Prime's voice boomed out over the crowd of Autobots and Insecticons alike, "You have terminated innocent human lives and destroyed cities on a scale akin to Megatron! I cannot allow you to continue on this path anymore! Autobots, attack!"

"Insecticons, engage the enemy enemy!" Shrapnel screeched as he pointed to the Autobots.

The two sides rushed at each other and began the battle in earnest. Autobots shot at Insecticons, and Insecticons shot at Autobots. The Insecticons used their mandibles to bite into their enemies, and the Autobots used brute force to bash in their enemy's helms. Of course, with so many clones, it was hard to tell if any of the real articles were even being affected.

Bumblebee found a hangar to stand in and stayed back from the fighting. He was surprised that no one from either side noticed him, but then again it was such chaos on the battlefield they probably weren't looking more than a few mechano-meters in front of them.

Soon there were bodies of Insecticon clones everywhere, and the Autobots had several in their ranks that were injured. Everything continued at a rapid pace until Shrapnel noticed that Wheeljack was taking a remote out of his subspace. Shrapnel knew about their plan, and he knew what that thing was for. He had to stop that blasted mad scientist!

Shrapnel tackled Wheeljack into the side of a hangar, collapsing the building and revealing Bumblebee's hiding place. Shrapnel grabbed for the remote, but Wheeljack refused to let go.

"Give me that, you Insecticon creep!" Wheeljack grunted as he pulled the remote toward himself.

"No way way!" Shrapnel yelled as he pulled it back toward himself, "You're trying to kill us all all! I will not allow it it!"

Soon more Autobots started pulling on Wheeljack's back to give him a hand, and the Insecticons started pulling on Shrapnel to help him out. It was a tug of war with the prize being the fate of the entire Insecticon race!

Suddenly Wheeljack was forced to let go when his servo slipped, and Shrapnel was pulled so far back that the recoil forced him to let go of the remote as well! Everyone watched, stupefied, as the remote skidded and spun along the ground until it was picked up by Bumblebee.

"Yes! Good job brother, now destroy it!" Bombshell ordered with crazed anticipation.

"You know something Bombshell, in the English language _bug_ is another word for virus," Bumblebee said stonily as he stared down at the remote, "Well, that's what we've become. A virus. A plague. All we do is cause death and destruction to everyone we meet. My friends don't even believe I'm Bumblebee anymore, and it's not because I look like you. It's because they can't recognize the way I behave now. You turned me into a virus. You ripped away everything that made me an Autobot. Well, I'm taking it back now. Goodbye."

" _No_!" Several Insecticons shouted as Bumblebee pressed the button that sent the chemicals into earth's atmosphere.

It took only seconds before the corrosion began, and every Insecticon began to break apart! Bumblebee himself knew he was going to die along with his brothers, and he knew he deserved to. At least the Autobots and the remaining humans on the planet would be safe. At least he would not die a virus.

Suddenly though, Bumblebee saw a red Lamborghini speeding right toward him. It was Sideswipe, and Bumblebee was sure he was coming to deliver the final blow. Instead however, he crashed into Bumblebee, forcing the bug into the air, and opened his trunk to force Bumblebee inside! He drove back to the other Autobots who were already racing away and headed straight for Ratchet.

"Ratchet! Open up! You've got a patient!" Sideswipe hollered as he made his way to the ambulance, "Hurry up! He needs a chemical shower now!"

Ratchet's automated gurney reached out to accept the injured Insecticon just before the Autobots drove away; the unholy wailing and screaming of dying Insecticons fading in their audio sensors as they left.

* * *

It had been twelve days, nearly an orn, since the Insecticons had been wiped out. Bumblebee had undergone 4 surgeries to reverse the damage caused by the bug spray. The good news was that Bumblebee had nearly fully recovered, but not unchanged. The Insecticon form was permanent. Bumblebee would die without his upgrades and without his organic fuel filter. The Autobots though were surprisingly okay with the idea of having an Insecticon teammate.

Spike went to visit Bumblebee every day he was under Ratchet's care. The boy was so grateful his friend had survived, and would even be allowed to return to the Autobots.

About four days into Bumblebee's stay in the medbay Spike had gone in to see the yellow and purple striped scout only to see that he already had a visitor; Sideswipe. Spike didn't know Sideswipe very well, but he was a friendly enough mech. One thing Spike did know was that Sideswipe had vowed to kill Bumblebee but then had turned around and saved his life. He had to know why.

" _Why_?" Sideswipe repeated when Spike had asked, "Well, to be honest, I didn't really believe your story about him being our Bumblebee, but then when he got the remote he used it to save us even though he would die. Those aren't the actions of a self-serving Decepticon. That's what Bumblebee would do. I had to save him, because he's our friend. I just wished we had recognized it when he showed up the first time. So much hassle could have been avoided. Oh well, I guess that's life."

"Is Sunstreaker still mad at him?" Spike had asked.

"Nah, are you kidding?" Sideswipe dismissed the very notion, "Sunny loves Bee! Everybody loves Bumblebee. Who could hold a grudge against him? Even if he does look like some monster in a cheap B movie. Huh, Bee movie. Hah!"

That had been a week ago; before Bumblebee regained consciousness. Now that Bumblebee was fully healed and being discharged from the medbay, Spike couldn't wait to see his best friend again under peaceful circumstances.

* * *

Bumblebee was in a plain white room. He couldn't see any doors, walls, or even a floor. It was nothing but pure whiteness. He thought he was alone, until he saw a group of dirt covered humans in cages crying out to him for help! Bumblebee ran to free the humans, but when he got there the cages were filled with energon cubes!

"Try one, Bumblebee. They're _delicious_ ," Bombshell purred into his audial as his arms wound around Bumblebee's shoulders, "Go on, you worked _so_ hard for it. You killed them Bumblebee, so eat up."

A Cybertronian sized human girl then handed Bumblebee a cube with both hands in a reverent manner, and Bumblebee took the cube. When he looked inside the cube, he could see Shrapnel swimming around inside of it, and it looked like he was drowning!

"Don't do it, Bumblebee!" Kickback pleaded; now only a couple feet tall and yelling up where he stood at Bumblebee's pede, "Don't kill us! You're my brother! Don't kill us please!"

"Too late!" Bombshell's face now encased the entire space of what had once been the white room, and in an echoing vice voice he chanted, " _You killed us. You killed us. You killed us_."

" _Why_ , Bumblebee?" Kickback sobbed as the hollow chanting continued all around him.

" _You killed us. You killed us. You killed us!"_

* * *

" _AAAHH_!" Bumblebee screamed as he awoke from his recharge.

He panted heavily and his helm hurt. He sobbed in the darkness as grim reality replaced the horrible nightmare. He had killed the Insecticons. _All_ of them. Sure, Bombshell and Shrapnel deserved it, but he even killed Kickback. Bumblebee was alive and now forced to live with what he had done to the mechs that had once called him brother.

He also had to live with the deaths of the humans, hundreds of humans, that had died because he was too foolish to stop this injustice when he had the chance. Even Carly was now gone because of him. How could he ever face Spike, Sparkplug, or Chip again knowing what he had done?

Then there was the Autobots. They had welcomed him back with open arms despite everything he had done. He joined their enemies, committed _treason_ , and they were still willing to forgive him. This was his true family, and he had hurt them too. He had almost killed Sunstreaker because he got scared. He nearly killed a fellow Autobot, and despite all that they forgave him.

He looked down at his servos and his digits. They still had the thin fibrous look of Insecticon digits. He flitted the wings on his back to note that they were still there. He felt the halves of his stinger on his shoulders, and more cleaning fluid ran down his optics. He was no Autobot. He was just a leftover Insecticon.

Bumblebee left his room and walked down the empty hallways. Nobody else was awake except for Red Alert in the security room, and it made the place feel quiet and eerie. Just like the night of his capture, it was dark and he was alone. Only this time he did not feel fear; only regret.

He made it as far as the driveway that led into the Ark when a voice behind him called out "Bumblebee? Are you alright?"

Bumblebee turned around to see that it was Spike. Spike and Sparkplug had been staying on the Ark lately since Spike wanted to be close to Bumblebee while he recovered. Bumblebee's spark was warmed by Spike's concern, but it didn't change what he was about to do.

"Spike, I'm glad you're here," Bumblebee said softly, "I want to say goodbye."

" _Goodbye_? Where are you going?" Spike asked pitifully.

"I don't know, but I can't stay here," Bumblebee replied morosely, "I've caused so much pain, and I've killed too many innocent people to ever consider myself an Autobot again. I don't deserve to serve under Optimus Prime. I don't deserve to be here. I can't stay. I just can't pretend I'm okay."

"I know you're hurt," Spike tried to reason with him, "But leaving won't solve anything. You need help, and the Autobots are your friends. They can help you. Please don't go away. There are a lot of people who love you. The Autobots are your family."

"The Insecticons were my family too, and look at what I did to them," Bumblebee replied bitterly, "Kickback might've been a monster, but all he ever did was support me. Even Bombshell stuck up for me when the bigger Insecticons messed with me. I'm not saying they didn't deserve it, but am I any better than them? Spike, I'm not the same mech I used to be, and I'll never be the same again. Anyway, I'll contact you when I get settled. I just have to find somewhere else to live. I'm not an Autobot anymore. I don't know what I am. Thanks for everything you've done for me. You're my best friend, Spike."

"You're my best friend too, Bee," Spike replied hoarsely as he tried to maintain his composure, "If you have to do this then...take care of yourself."

Bumblebee smiled down at the boy and waved goodbye before transforming into insect mode and flying away. Spike ran out to watch him as Bumblebee flew up into the sky and eventually was lost amid the twinkling stars. Spike only hoped that Bumblebee found whatever he was looking for, and that someday Bumblebee's spark could finally be at peace.

 **The End**


End file.
